Stand by Me
by OurBeatingHeartsBleed
Summary: What happens when the world's last hope falls to the Fire Princess? When the last waterbender takes a stand alongside the missing Prince to bring balance back to the world? Adult content.
1. Chapter 1

"No!" The ragged scream tore from her throat as Aang fell from the sky, his eyes closed and mouth slack. As his body fell into the ocean, Katara whirled on her attackers, brandishing long tendrils of water whips. Azula had followed them, had found them, and had destroyed them. Appa had been struck down from above, his large saddle bursting into flames from Azula's lightning. Many of the Avatar's allies had died in the resulting crash, among them Haru and most of the non-benders. Some escaped into the surrounding forest with Firebenders fast on their trail. Katara, Suki, Sakka, Aang, and Toph had stayed to fight, back to back in a circle against the swarming Fire Nation soldiers. Aang, his chi still blocked, did his best to defend his friends before Azula sent the deadly bolt of lightning into the scar on his back. Without even a sound, he dropped into the ocean.

Katara lashed out, the edges of her whips narrowing into sharp ice razors as she swiped through the necks of twelve Fire Nation soldiers. She didn't stay to watch the blood tide to the ground as she rounded on the next bunch of attackers, snarling. Sokka fought bravely back to back with Suki until the sheer numbers of soldiers overwhelmed them and they fell to their knees. Toph sucked soldier after soldier into the earth to rot until she was encaged in a box of wood and dragged away by a squad of Firebenders. She screamed and drummed her fists to no avail. No one was listening.

Katara stood alone in a circle of red. Tears streamed down her face but she pushed her grief down and attacked with a yell of rage. Coils of water streamed for the Firebenders and they advanced, blasting fire towards the long blue figure. Any water she had evaporated. The smell of singed hair filled her nostrils and her eyes widened. She was going to die. Stretching her fingers in a clawed gestured and swiped towards the nearest Firebender. He felt ice fill his veins as he tried to scream but instead his right eyeball popped. Katara smiled, lost in a red haze of grief, fury, and survival. She turned her gaze to the next Firebenders, intent on stopping his blood in his veins, when the butt of a sword to the back of her neck turned everything black.

Watching from above, high above Azula's airships, Zuko saw his last hope fall to the ground from Admiral Zhao's blow. His hand grasped the strings of his ship, knuckles white. What was he supposed to do now? Gritting his teeth in frustration, he wheeled his airship and flew away. Undetected.


	2. Chapter 2

Katara groaned. The world was too bright. Her whole body hurt. She tried to roll on to her knees from her back but the clink of chains stopped her. She froze, feeling the pounding at the base of her skull, as everything roared back to her. Aang was dead. Sokka, Suki, and Toph captured. She squinted her eyes open, peering around the too-bright world. She was lying on her back on the deck of a Fire Nation ship in the middle of the ocean. The bow dipped and heaved with the waves as wind blew fiercely around her. The sky was dark with an impending storm and cold drops fell on her as she looked up. To her, it seemed the world was mourning the Avatar's death.

She tried to push herself up but her hands were so heavy. She looked over to see first one, then the other encased in metal so tight she couldn't open her fist. She pulled, hoping her wrists were small enough to slide through the narrow opening, but they were just too big. Chains latched the metal mittens to the deck of the ship. She shook her legs experimentally and found cuffs around her ankles, linking her feet together and to the deck. Fear rose up in her throat and she felt like screaming.

"Well, well, well." A cold, sneering voice came from her right. She twisted her head and winced at the pain the small motion caused. "Our little guest is awake." Zhao was striding towards her, hands clasped behind his back. Despite his smiling expression, his eyes were cold. "How do you like your accommodations? I'm afraid the rest of us will be leaving you soon; don't want to be caught up in this storm. We thought, since you're a filthy waterbender, you wouldn't mind it so much."

Katara growled low in her throat, jerking against her chains, wanting to get to him. To claw his eyes out. He laughed at her efforts. "Those chains aren't going anywhere, little bender." He said, coming to stand next to her prone form and peer down at her. "Give up."

She spat on his boot. His face curled into a mask of hate and he kicked her viciously in her side. She cried out and tried to curl onto her side but the chains were fastened too short. "You'll regret that soon enough." He said, his voice deadly calm. "Enjoy the storm." He turned his back and walked back into the cabin, leaving Katara to the mercy of the sea and sky. She wanted to cry. She wanted to wail to the heavens, curse the spirits that let this happen. But she couldn't, she refused to show weakness in front of her enemies. She lay unmoving, soundless, as the rain beat down on her, the sky giving her the tears she couldn't allow herself to shed.

Katara was awoken the following morning by a boot to the gut. Gasping she tried to sit up and was jerked back by the chains. Gritting her teeth, she glared at the fire nation soldier above her. The armored figure placed a heavy pointed toed boot on her stomach and pressed down threateningly. Feeling the air in her lungs constrict, Katara gave in to the threat and lay still as several other soldiers approached her from the cabin to un-weld her chains from the deck. The foot on her belly was removed as she was hauled to her feet by her wrists. In a desperate movement, she clasped the chain above her manacles in her fists and pulled herself up enough to strike a kick at the soldier in front of her. He fell back a few steps with a grunt as she landed, ready to try it again when a plated hand struck her across the face. The metal hurt, and cut her cheek in long stripes where it had struck her. Katara spat a small mouthful of blood at the soldier's feet and was rewarded with a low laugh.

"The Fire Lord likes them feisty." His voice sounded far away in the metal helmet, and his words took a moment to register. When his meaning finally invaded her mind they chilled her and she stopped resisting. The Fire Lord? Was he here? On this ship? She looked around, panicked for any sign of him; any hint that he was close. If she was free, could she face him? A humiliating rumble from her stomach indicated otherwise. The soldiers laughed at her and she tugged furiously at her chains.

"Let me go!" She screamed, trying to pull towards the ocean. If she could just get to the water…

"You're not going anywhere." Zhao had stepped out on deck and was smirking at her. "The Fire Lord has asked to interrogate you himself. It's an honor, really." He stepped close to her. The soldiers gripping her restraints pulled up on them so only her toes touched the slippery metal deck. "You should feel proud that the Fire Lord thinks you're valuable enough to keep alive, unlike your talentless friends."

Outwardly, Katara snarled. But inside, her pulse turned to ice. Sokka…

Zhao gripped her chin in his fingers and roughly turned her to face him. His fingers were hot and smelled like breakfast and soot. "I'm sure you'll enjoy his—Aaarrghh!" the Commander cried out as Katara's teeth sunk deep into the fleshy part of his palm below his thumb. He tried to shake her off but she only bit harder. His other hand came down to strike her against the face once, twice, three times before she let go, taking a chunk of skin with her.

"Throw her below!" Zhao roared, clasping a cloth to his injured hand. "Let her rot there until we reach the Fire Nation." As the soldiers began to drag her, Zhao called out: "And clap a muzzle on the bitch's snout."

The Fire Nation had long since employed muzzles for bending criminals that thought to get a jump on their captors by breathing fire in their face. They were horrible metal contraptions that fastened behind the head, with a long leather strap running up the nose to join the others at the back of the head. Katara thrashed, but they secured one around her and tossed her into a damp cell, the metal door clanging shut behind her. The soldiers jeered at her before climbing back up to the deck, leaving her in almost total darkness.

The manacles they left on her were beginning to rub her wrists raw, and her fists inside were clamping horribly. The underbelly of the ship smelled of mold and wet. Her only comfort was a small, soft blanket on the hard pallet in the corner. A bucket was set across from it, and Katara grimaced when she realized what it was for.

She crossed the tiny cell to sit cross-legged on the pallet. Taking comfort in the rise and fall of the waves below the ship, she closed her eyes. One tear rolled down her cheek, the only indication of the storm of grief that raged within her.


	3. Chapter 3

"So this is the Avatar's famous waterbending instructor."

Katara was kneeling in front of the fire throne, forced there by Zhao's strong hand. The flames lapped at her knees, singeing her through her leggings. The room was vast, the biggest Katara had ever seen. Despite the heat, a shiver ran through her as the Fire Lord's voice echoed from his seat on the dais. Katara inhaled the scent of hot brick and grimaced.

"She does not look like much, Commander Zhao." The Fire Lord's voice had a slight sneer. Katara raised her head, wanting to get a glimpse of him, but Zhao's flaming fist scared her back into looking down. "I feel you have been complaining excessively of her spirit."

"My Lord," Zhao's voice was strong, but not as confident as how he had been when he was the one in charge. Katara smirked at his discomfort. "she gave us nothing but trouble on the way here. She attacked-"

"Spare me, Commander." The Fire Lord's drawled. "I am not interested in her antics. I _am_ interested in discovering whether or not the Avatar is alive."

Katara frowned briefly in confusion. Surely his death had been reported! Is that what she had been captured for? Dragged across the world for? To relive the last moments of her best friend's death?

"Any secrets the Avatar has been hiding, she'll know." Zhao's voice was rushed. From her position, she could see him shifting his weight from foot to foot. She smiled, taking a brief enjoyment in the fact he was nervous. "Any plans, hiding places-"

"I am aware of her purpose, Zhao." Katara heard the rustle of robes. The Fire Lord had stood up. She heard his sharp footsteps descending from the throne. Zhao's movements ceased and he straightened up. Katara defiantly tossed her head, looking the enemy of the free world in the face. Instantly she saw a flash of Zuko, but this man's face was wider, fuller. Less weathered by nights in the open and days on a ship. There were no blemishes from encounters with her friends, no large scar, and his hair was elegantly swept up to crown his head in a topknot, the flames of the Fire Nation crown extending from within it. This was the face of a ruler: hard, serious. His eyes met hers, and she felt like his gaze was penetrating her, reading her, devouring her. She refused to cower before him, and straightened her spine, glaring back at his scorching gaze. You don't scare me. Your son has, but you never will.

"Then again…" The Fire Lord, in a movement faster than her eyes could follow, swooped down and clasped her throat with a burning hand and lifted her off her feet, smiling as she panickedly tried to pry his fingers from her throat. The metal mittens on her hands prevented her from defending herself in any real way, only allowing her to beat on his arm without much affect. His cruel smile stretched across his face as she struggled, feeling his hand heat up to almost intolerable levels. She gasped, trying to kick him but she couldn't reach. Finally, when she felt she was about to pass out, he dropped her. She landed hard on her hip, mittened hands trying to sooth the burns on her throat. "…maybe she does have potential." He snapped his fingers. "Bring her to my chambers." He turned and strode away, leaving Katara writhing on the floor under Zhao's predatory gaze. With a growl of annoyance, he slung her over his shoulder and followed the Fire Lord.

"Put her there." The Fire Lord gestured to the middle of his room. Zhao, looking hassled, dumbed a kicking, cursing Katara onto the floor. She swiped her legs at him, baring her teeth. It hadn't been a gentle ride: those shoulder spikes were sharp. Zhao growled at her and snatched the chains between her hands and feet and stomped on them, pinning her unceremoniously to the floor. Ozai stood for a moment looking down at her, hands clasped behind his back, before turning to walk towards a wardrobe set against the far corner. Katara struggled to sit up and look around. The room was bedecked in gold and red, with an enormous four poster bed set against the far wall. The wardrobe Ozai had stopped in front of was closest to her, with another two across the room. A door to the side of the bed led to what Katara supposed was a bathroom. There weren't many decorations on the walls except for a large Fire Nation flag above the bed with a pair of crossed gold-hilted katanas below it.

Ozai shed his outer robes, letting them pool on the floor. As a servant scurried to carry them away, he opened the wardrobe to reveal an assortment of whips, knives, pliers, and ropes. Katara's eyes widened. Why would anyone have torture devices in their _bedroom_? The realization hit her hard as Ozai turned to look over his shoulder at her, as if to size her up and determine her weaknesses. She struggled against Zhao's firm stance on her chains, writhing furiously. Ozai turned back to the wardrobe and pulled out a long length of black cord. Nothing else.

"Put her on the bed, Zhao." Ozai unwound the cord, drawing it out. "Face down."

Zhao smiled. "With pleasure, my Lord." He stooped to pick up Katara.

"No, no, no!" she screamed, kicking and hitting at him. "Don't touch me!"

"Silence, peasant." Ozai crooned. Zhao deposited Katara on her stomach in the middle of the large bed, placing one knee in the middle of her back and holding her hands above her head. "This will go better for you if you cooperate with us."

Katara cursed at him and he laughed. It was a low, long laugh. The laugh of a predator. Ozai tossed Zhao a length of rope across Katara's back. "Tie her feet to the posts."

Zhao leaned sideways, keeping his knee on Katara's back, to clasp one of her kicking feet in a strong hot hand and tie it to the bottom bedpost. Ozai moved to the head of the bed to reach for one of Katara's hands. She swung wildly and caught him along the cheek with her nails, drawing deep red droplets to the surface. He didn't flinch. Only chuckled. "Make sure she is tied tight, Zhao."

He wrapped the black rope around her wrists and pulled tight, leaving her little room to struggle. She snarled, glaring up at the Fire Lord from beneath her rumpled hair. "Let me go you piece of filth!"

"Zhao," the Fire Lord said, ignoring Katara. "do you know what type of interrogation method I enjoy most?"

"Which one, my Lord?" Zhao jerked Katara's bonds tight. Ozai motioned his knee aside.

"Using my own hands." Ozai snarled, gripping Katara's tunic in his hands and tearing the back open. She shrieked, bucking up from the bed. Ozai continued ripping, until her entire back was exposed. Her white underbindings remained, her only protection.

Ozai moved to crouch by her face, looking her in the eye. Wide blue eyes stared back, but contrary to his wishes, they were not full of tears. She wasn't scared enough for him yet. He brought his palm level with his eyes and lit a small, controlled fire ball. She flinched back, startled by the sudden flare.

"Waterbender." Ozai said. "Is the Avatar dead?"

Katara remained silent, defiance on her face. The Fire Lord smirked. "You are a very brave girl. But keep in mind: I enjoy the smell of burning flesh." Katara shuddered. "Once more, is the Avatar dead?"

Katara clenched her jaw and glared at him, refusing to blink and break eye contact. Ozai shrugged and stood. Katara felt the bed dip as he climbed onto it, straddling her hips. A hand caught her braid and jerked her head up uncomfortably, her neck bent at a painful answer. "Is the Avatar dead?" When she still gave him no answer, the Fire Lord's lips curled up in a cruel smile. "Very well."

His hand, heated to beyond what most Firebenders could achieve, plunged downward to leave a sizzling handprint in the small of her back. She screamed, high and long. Zhao watched from beside the bed, his hand itching to wrap around the throbbing erection in his pants. He was a man who loved pain, whether he was causing it or not didn't matter.

"Is the Avatar dead?" Ozai roared, drowning out Katara's scream of pain. She only screamed louder in return. He ground his hand into her back, creating a large, red, angry circle. "Is he dead, waterbender?"

Katara bit her tongue until it bled, refusing to scream, though her back was in excruciating pain. She dug her nails into whatever she could reach: bedpost, pillow, sheet. She thrashed from side to side and bucked, trying to shake him off. He removed his hand from her back and leaned forward while pulling her braid back further. Close to her ear, he whispered. "Careful, waterbender. You will excite me."

Katara froze, shutting her eyes and trying to turn her face from him. He laughed in her ear and sat up. "Let us try this again." Lighting a small flame with his finger, he pressed it to her skin, creating a smaller circle alongside the large one on her back. She hissed in pain and dug her nails harder into the pillow case she was gripping. "Where is the Avatar?"

"He's dead!" The admission felt like it was ripped from her throat. She threw her head to the mattress in defeat. "He's dead. Azula killed him."

"_Princess_ Azula." He hissed back at her, adding another circle on her back. She screamed as it felt like her entire back was on fire. "Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. How did she kill him?"

"She shot him with lightning." Katara wailed, her voice muffled. "In the back." She felt his burning thumb press a hot circle into her spine, just below the base of her neck. She felt like she was breaking apart. She didn't want to be here, reliving it with her worst enemy. She wanted to be with Aang, with Sokka and Suki, Toph. Even Zuko instead of his father would be acceptable! "He fell into the sea."

"Very good." Ozai purred. "Very good. A true victory for the Fire Nation." Katara felt his hips shift slightly against her rear and she shuddered. "A sad day for the Water Tribes, however."

"What?" Katara cried, her head rising. She cried out as Ozai added another circle of pain at her tone.

"Zhao, would you like to inform our little waterbender of our talk this morning?" Ozai sat back to admire his work. Katara's back was most likely scarred for life. The large circle in the center of her back was surrounded on all sides by smaller circles, creating a sun-like visage. The sight of it made him hard. He could tell that Zhao was in a similar condition: the man lived for pain.

"Certainly, my Lord." Zhao's voice was smug. He strode over to speak into Katara's ear. "Of course, you're aware of the Avatar cycle. Fire, Earth, Air, Water. In order to bring the next Avatar under our control, we will need to bring the people of the Water Tribes under our control." Katara whipped her head around to face him, her eyes wide in fear of what he would say next. "Of course, only the women would need to be taken alive-aaagh!" Katara spit in his eye.

"You'll never defeat the Water Tribes!" She shouted at him. "They're more powerful than the entire Fire Nation put together!" She began struggling again, bucking and pulling against her restraints. She felt hot hands descend on her hips and heard Zhao's laugh. "Get _off_ of me!"

"Careful, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe." She shivered hearing her name come from the Fire Lord's lips. She didn't even realize he knew her name. "You wouldn't want to make this worse for them." Katara stilled. She felt Ozai's hands tugging on her hips, grinding her against him. "Commander Zhao, would you leave us please? I will send for you when we are finished here."

"Of course, my lord." There was a resentful note to Zhao's voice as he bowed to his sovereign and exited the royal chambers. Katara heard the lock click behind him and whimpered.

"Zhao is a loyal officer. Ambitious. Violent. Controlled." Ozai raised himself up to flip Katara onto her back. The binds on her wrists and ankles crossed, clasping them together. Her burned back screamed at her and she arched her back to relieve the painful contact of the bedspread. The motion brought her body in contact with the Firelord's and she dropped herself back down, wincing at the pain. His flaming fists came down on either side of her head and she flinched, her eyes closing in fear. She felt his hot breath on her face as he laughed at her.

"Please," She whispered. "Please, don't do this."

"Don't do what, waterbender?" Ozai's tone was mocking. "Destroy your people? Take what I am sure is your virginity?" She felt his hair against her shoulder as his mouth came into contact with the base of her neck. His teeth sunk into the fleshy area just above her collarbone and she screamed, thrusting her shoulders involuntarily. Her chest collided with his and his hand slid under her back to hold her there. "Tell me what it is I shouldn't do, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe."

"Please don't." Katara moaned, struggling against his grip. She could feel his arousal against her leg and she realized that her struggling was what he wanted. What he drew power from. She went limp, his hand the only thing propping her up. "Please…stop."

"Do not presume to tell me what to do, you water tribe peasant." Ozai snarled, the hand on her back heating up to singe her burns. She clenched her teeth to keep herself from screaming. He dropped her, one hand going to her throat. He pushed her down, his other hand ripping the remaining shreds of her tunic from her torso. She gasped through his grip, humiliated under his predatory gaze. She shut her eyes, trying to imagine herself somewhere, anywhere else. Riding on Appa. Training Aang. Fighting Zuko. Anything! A hard slap brought her back and she gasped. Seeing his face so close to hers, feeling his hot breath on her face, she seized her last chance of defiance and slammed her forehead into his nose.

With a guttural growl the Fire Lord sat up, straddling her hips with his own, blood running in a single crimson stream from his nose. He didn't move to wipe it away. His right hand clenched her breast in a painful vice grip and his left dragged her pants down.

"Mine." His snarl echoed in her ears. Katara squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out any and all sensations as the Fire Lord used her body for his own pleasure.

When it was over, Katara opened her eyes to see the Fire Lord dressing in front of his wardrobe. Her body ached from his treatment and stung from his burns. Dry tears mingled with fresh ones as the shame and terror washed over her. Her eyes closed again as Ozai started walking towards the bed. A hard, cool hand gripped her chin and turned her face up.

"Consider yourself lucky you will escape imprisonment with the rest of your people." He murmured, turning her face from side to side. "Zhao is very thorough." He dropped her face and began untying her bonds. She struggled feebly to his amusement. "Something I have learned from dealing with the Water Tribes: pain is not what breaks them." A knock on the door drew him away. Katara curled into a ball, his words running through her head. _Pain is not what breaks them. Breaks them. Breaks us. Breaks me. I am broken._

The darting eyes and concerned face of a servant woman swam into her vision. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but the woman only handed something to the Fire Lord and gathered up the shredded remains of her clothing before exiting as swiftly as she had entered.

From behind her, Katara heard the rustling of the Fire Lord's robes and a loud metallic clink of a shackle closing around a bedpost. Ozai's hands pried her knees down from her chest and fastened a heavy metal collar around her neck. She didn't have to see it to tell that it was latched to the bed.

"I have business to attend to." Ozai ran a surprisingly gentle hand over her hair and she shied away. He struck her a blow to the back of the head. When he ran a hand over her hair again, she didn't move. "Good."

As the door closed behind him, Katara unraveled herself and sat up on the bed, clutching her arms against herself to shield her body from the world. She fingered the band around her neck: there was no seam. Ozai had melted it shut. She pulled on the chain to find it had some length to it and she clambered off the bed to curl up as far from the bed as possible. With her back toward the wall, the plush carpet tickling her naked limbs, Katara wept.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you all who have reviewed! :D It really brightens my day!

She was beginning to panic. He was still touching her. Her moon-blood hadn't come. The full moon had come and gone, leaving her with a feeling of restless desperation. The energy from the moon always reverberated through her soul and it was no different this month, but the absence of her cycle was leading to a new restlessness. She thought maybe it could be stress, depression. Not what she was thinking. Not what she refused to admit to herself.

Katara stood and paced by the window, chain clinking behind her. She looked out into the dark courtyard, seeing the still fountain, the shaggy bushes. Coming to a halt beside the window, she laid her hand on the thin pane. It gave. Her eyes widened. She looked quickly over her shoulder to make sure she was alone and pushed on it again. It had a slight give and squeaked just a little bit. The pane was big enough for her to get through and it was an easy climb down a tree to freedom. She leaned forward only to feel the tug of her collar. She put her bound hands up to it, feeling the indomitable strength of it. If only she could get her hands free she could freeze it with just a little water.

The door creaked open to admit a servant and Katara jumped, startled. As she looked at the middle-aged serving woman coming towards her, a reckless plan formed in her mind. The woman was kind, and had attended her before, although never this late at night. She was also fiercely loyal to the Fire Lord, and would give Katara gentle pointers on surviving his…attentions.

"Good evening, water girl." She said, coming to stand next to Katara and stroke her hair. "I'm afraid the Fire Lord is still tied up in meetings. I think they will be done around midnight."

Katara bowed her head and averted her eyes. "Mistress, I have a favor to beg."

The woman eyed her sternly. Her kindness didn't usually extend to favors. "Yes?" She began unfastening Katara's chain to take her to the bathroom.

"I…I would really like to touch the Fire Lord with my own hands." Katara hoped her racing heart and faint blush would be taken as infatuation, rather than fear and humiliation. "Would you please, just for one night, unbind my hands?"

The old woman began walking towards the bathroom, Katara's chain in hand. She eyed the girl, looking for any sign of duplicity. She knew the girl was a bender, but, like most fire nation citizens, didn't take water as a real threat. The girl's eyes were downcast, a faint blush on her cheeks. In her own mind she smiled at the thought: the girl had fallen in love with her Lord and master. How wonderful for her finally.

"I'm not sure that would be the wisest course of action, dear." She turned away so Katara could make use of the facilities. "I haven't received any sort of approval from the Fire Lord."

"I'd love to surprise him." Katara said in a breathy, excited voice. She cringed inwardly at the sound of herself. "Think of how much better it would feel on him: hands instead of leathery binds. I only wish to please the Fire Lord as much as I can."

The servant woman again inspected her face and, to her eyes, only saw slight shyness and desire. She sighed, smiling at the girl. "Very well, but I will be waiting in here until you are finished to retie the binds."

Katara nodded eagerly, but not too eagerly. The old woman took her hands and with a small knife from her sleeve cut the top leather strip on each hand. The rolls of leather fell swiftly to the ground and lay curled like brown snakes on the cool tile floor. Katara flexed her hands, marveling in the freedom of movement. Her hands were stiff and weak, and she worried she'd never have full control of them. She smiled her gratitude at the servant woman and bent to rinse her hands in the wash basin. Instinct kicked in, and when the woman's back was turned, the water glowed blue.

"I'm sorry." Katara whispered as she pulled her hands from the water.

"What dear?" The servant woman turned, only to see Katara in a waterbending stance. Immediately realizing her mistake, she managed a wild strike with her knife before her entire body betrayed her. Katara gasped and bent her hand in a motion that caused the woman's throat to close up, depriving her of oxygen until she was unconscious. The woman's body sunk to the floor, still breathing lightly. Katara put a hand to her cheek and it came away bloody. The woman's knife had cut from her right cheekbone to the top of her lip. It wasn't deep, and she didn't have time to waste.

Bending water from the wash basin, she wrapped it around her collar and grit her teeth as it grew colder and colder. The metal shattered, pieces tinkling to the floor. She watched them scatter across the tiled floor, and a hysterical giggle escaped her. She was free. Almost.

Katara poked her head out of the bathroom door, peering down the small hallway that led to the bathroom. She stepped out, slinking along the wall towards the window. When she came to the end of the hallway, she peered around the corner and seeing no one, she began to sprint towards the window, running headlong into a tall, red robed figure.

Ozai's shocked face matched hers. On instinct they both folded into their bending stances, facing off against each other. Katara's heart was pounding in her chest. Ozai's stance was steady, his face hard. Katara tried to circle him, to move herself closer to the window, but instead of moving opposite her, he moved towards her. She leaped backwards, towards the door, and he snarled, throwing a fireball at her head. She ducked and skittered closer the door. She threw her hands up, ready to bend his veins against him to keep him from touching her again.

"Guards!" Ozai bellowed, advancing on her. Katara swung around to face the advancing royal guards. They were in full armor, faces obscured by steel plates. Their fists were already lit with dancing orange fire. Katara could feel the heat from where she stood and retreated towards the third wall. Ozai's guards fell in behind him as he stalked towards her, fists twin flames at his side. Katara's eyes darted, looking for an escape when her back hit the wall. Ozai's guards spread out, boxing her in.

"Give up, slave." Ozai snarled, his fists turning blue. "There is nowhere for you to go, except back to my bed."

Katara shuddered but didn't lower her hands. She'd rather die than be used by him again. Taking a chance she raised her hands in a spidery-clawed movement and grasped control of his blood. Ozai shuddered, his movements becoming jerky and his eyes wide. Katara closed her eyes, trying to find the vein to sever to end his life. She felt it, grasped it, began to squeeze. A burst of flame from her side disrupted her concentration and she lost it. Ozai sucked in a deep, gasping breath and his guards surged forward, gripping Katara's arms and forcing her to her knees.

Ozai stood panting for a moment before striding forward and backhanding her across the face. Her head snapped around and she whimpered. Ozai grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked, pulling her head up. She glared back at him, one side of her face still trickling blood from the old woman's knife, and the other swollen and red from his slap.

"I hope that last act of defiance was worth it, waterbender." He ground out. his grip on her hair tightened and she whimpered again. "Tomorrow morning, Zhao is deploying to the Southern Water tribe, while my daughter leads her fleet against the Northern tribe." He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "The decimation of your people is imminent, Katara."

"No…" she breathed out. Her heart began to race. Gran-gran, all the people she grew up with, all the innocent children and babies and mothers and fathers. They all swirled before her eyes in a haze.

"Take her away and crush her hands." She heard Ozai, but it was if he was far, far away. "Make sure they won't heal properly. It is time for a more permanent solution to her insubordination."

"What should we do with her afterwards, my Lord?"

"Bring her back." His answer was immediate.

Katara felt strong hands grip her upper arms and hoist her to her feet. Her legs wouldn't stay under her and she wobbled. They dragged her away, feet sliding on the polished floor of the hallways. She still felt like she was in a trance. Her family, friends, teachers, healers…all of them. The Southern tribe had no defenses. The Northern tribe she supposed could survive maybe long enough for Earth Kingdom reinforcements, if they could get the word out in time. Her home was going to vanish into flames.

She allowed herself to be dragged, consumed in grief, not even caring about the destination. Vaguely she noticed turns down corridors, bumps, and the passing of other bodies. She thought she saw Zuko once, but as she lifted her head she only saw a painting of a smiling boy standing next to a tall woman as she slid past it.

Finally they reached an outdoor courtyard. Katara felt herself falling and barely managed to catch herself as they dropped her. She registered the rough stone, cooler air, and the sensation of hands on her arms, stretching them out.

Beside her face, a small green plant grew. It was little, so little, but it was enough to wake her up. All life contained water. She felt hands come down to secure her wrist on the ground, sensing a body standing next to her, and moved.

Faster than a striking snake, she pulled the water from the little green plant and slashed through the ankle of one of the soldiers. He howled in pain as he fell over, his severed foot staying upright. The other soldier, the one holding her arm, grasped tighter, but she used the blood of his comrade to slice through his throat. He too toppled, gurgling.

Katara stood, her head rushing. She stumbled only a moment before she got her feet under her, and then she was running, and then she was burning. A third soldier, alerted by the screams of his fellows, stood between her and the area surrounding the palace. He stood between her and freedom. He had sent a large ball of fire towards her and she had caught it on her hands. She clutched them to her chest but it only made them hurt more. She screamed, looking down at them to see large blisters already forming. Releasing a feral shriek, she swiped her hands and tore large claw marks of broken veins through the soldier. He fell without a sound, blood seeping across the cobblestones.

Katara bent and gingerly removed his long black cloak. She absently wondered how fire nation soldiers didn't get heatstroke as she pulled it on and lifted the hood. She snuck through the large gates and out into the crowd around the Fire Palace, just another face in an endless sea of faces. Keeping her blue eyes down and hidden, she moved slowly until she was almost half a mile from the palace, and then she ran. She didn't stop running for a very, very long time.


	5. Chapter 5

He was tired. So incredibly tired. He was tired of walking. Of not knowing where dinner will come from next. Of the stares of villagers when they see his face. Of the constant threat of discovery. Of the destruction he sees everywhere they go. Of having to hide when Fire Nation troops ride by, because they are the only ones who remember what he looks like and who he is. Of the name "Li" being used to address him. But he was not tired of slipping on his blue mask in the dead of night and stealing away while his Uncle snores. Crown Prince Zuko is not tired of striking back.

But he's not the Crown Prince anymore, he thinks as he lands on the rooftop of a merchant's shop. He pauses, but shakes loose from the thought, continuing his sprint across the rooftops of the village. He's not Prince Zuko anymore. He's not even _Zuko_ anymore. And he hasn't been for the seven years since the Avatar fell to his sister. As far as anyone needs to know, his name is Lee, his Uncle is Mushi, and they are refugees from the far reaches of the Earth Kingdom where Fire Benders occasionally marry Earth Benders and that's why he has golden eyes and by the way it's rude to ask.

He came to a stop on the roof of what seemed to be a perfume shop, judging by the smell. He wrinkled his nose behind the mask, panting just a little harder than he would have liked. The Blue Spirit had been seen in many of the Fire Nation occupied colonies in the former Earth Kingdom, but not so often recently. Word had spread, and soldiers were on the lookout for him now. He had to be more careful. But here, on the outskirts of any real civilization and near the border of the great southern forests, where the Fire Nation's grasp was still shaky, he felt safe enough to resume his midnight treks.

His Uncle understood, but only to a point. He understood Zuko's need to do something. His need for action, for movement. He even understood his desire to do _something_, anything rather than sit still and watch the world be destroyed by his family. By his home. Iroh felt the same way. But he could not understand why his nephew felt the need to wear a mask and use his swords in pursuit of his needs. Zuko could not understand why his Uncle was content to travel simply as a refugee and merely observe the wrongs of the Fire Nation instead of taking action.

He was at peace with giving up his birthright on the Day of Black Sun. He was at peace with his Father's abhorrence. He was at peace with his sister's animosity. But he was not at peace with the idea that they were destroying the world by bringing all nations under their control. And any action he could take brought him peace. If only for that night.

As he had expected, this town was mostly clear of the Fire Nation. The Mayor, or whatever his title, was from the Fire Nation but was a decent person. From his earlier foray into the town, he had learned that the Mayor had neglected to report the town's Earth Benders as was required. He had also somehow turned a blind eye to the literally underground black market that sold water and earth bending scrolls, Water Tribe trinkets, and other outlawed items. He had even seen several Fire Nation soldiers purchasing several jars of ocean kumquats. This town did not need liberation from the Blue Spirit. And it soothed his soul. But only for tonight.

He returned to the Inn his Uncle had found earlier. It was small, comprising only of six rooms. The name, "Night's Watch Lodge", had made him smirk. He liked it. He also recognized that it was a subtle slap at the Fire Nation: Lodge was a word associated with the Water Tribes. Tribes that hadn't officially existed in five years. Zhao's mission had been a success. Every surviving member of the Southern Water Tribe had been brought to the Fire Nation on a pitiful three ships and promptly imprisoned. Women and men were separated, then separated again by benders and non-benders.

The non-benders had been released into the Fire Nation capital where they could be kept careful track of. Numerous sanctions kept them in check, including weekly check-ins, identifying armbands, and assigned jobs. Violators were brutally hunted down. The hands of the Water Benders were precisely mutilated that removed their ability to bend. They too were released into the capital, but their check-ins were daily and their lives were much more constrained. It was a brutal solution, but Zuko had not been surprised. His father was a vicious man.

The Fire Lord had used Sozin's comet to decimate the Earth Kingdom. Ba Sing Se and Omashu had been burned to the ground and stood as massive piles of rubble and rock. Zhao had been established as the Regent of what used to be Ba Sing Se, now known as the City of Azulan, in honor of Fire Lord Azula. While pockets of resistance remained, and proved an endless thorn in Zhao's side, the majority of the world was now controlled by the Fire Nation. Ozai had taken the title of Phoenix King, and had abdicated the throne to Azula on the day of Sozin's Comet. An enormous festival was held in each major city of the world on the anniversary of that day, the day the world burned. A smaller festival also took place on the anniversary of the day Avatar Aang died: the Day of Victory, as it was called in the Fire Nation.

Zuko could sense that the festival of the Day of Victory was approaching. Banners and fire lilies bedecked the exterior of the Night's Watch Lodge, depicting scenes of that far gone day. It sent a chill through Zuko's spine. He remembered watching from above as the Avatar was struck down by Azula, watching as they had captured or killed the rest of the gang. How several months later he had begun hearing rumors of his father's obsessive quest to find the last water bender. He knew it was Katara. He just knew.

Zuko strode into the Night's Watch Lodge, his eyes crinkling slightly at the small blue flowers woven amongst the fire lilies.

"Zuko! Zuko!" His deep amber eyes snapped open immediately. His Uncle must be very upset to not use his cover name. "Prince Zuko, wake up!" Now he knew something was wrong. Iroh hadn't called him 'Prince' in years.

"What, Uncle?" But he knew. He knew as he smelled the smoke, heard the vague rustling, crackling noise. Heard the screams. "When?"

"The fires just started." Iroh was throwing their meager belongings into their packs. He tossed Zuko's to him and motioned to the door. "We need to get moving."

Zuko nodded tersely and strapped his swords on under his pack. They bolted down the stairs and out into the chaotic, blackened streets of the village. Ash rained from above them, flames leaping brightly against the cloudy, grey sky. A mass of fire benders marched down the street, shooting flames into doorways and through windows. Their boots made uniform beats against the cobblestones, a thunder in Zuko's ears. He knew he was presumed dead to most of the world, but the citizens of the Fire Nation all knew his face, his scar. He pulled his hood over his head and tucked the cowl lower.

"Lee!" He was well accustomed to his new name, and turned instantly at his Uncle's cry. "Come here!"

He sprinted to where his Uncle had grasped a burning beam, disregarding the flames, and lifted it as he approached. Zuko darted under it and pulled out the screaming children from the home barred by the beam. Tucking one under each arm he darted back out, dodging falling cinders. Iroh let the beam fall behind him and turned to shepherd several other villagers ahead of him.

"Head for the woods!" Iroh's voice was strained; he knew the risks more than Zuko did. Nothing but interrogation and imprisonment awaited him if he were caught. Zuko trotted ahead of the villagers, eyes roving for deer paths and trails they could follow deeper into the woods. The villagers followed, ushering the villagers ahead of him.

"I know where we can go." A voice behind Zuko piped. He turned to see a scrawny kid, around fifteen, wearing a helmet and breastplate. He frowned at him, the kid almost looked familiar. "Follow me." He took off through the woods, following a trail only he could see. Zuko followed on his heels, holding one kid against his shoulder as he cradled the other wailing one in his arm. The patter of footsteps behind him increased, and he looked back to see almost fifty villagers following him, his Uncle bringing up the rear.

The kid led them on a zig-zag path through the increasingly dense forest, turning at boulders, doubling back at streams. Zuko knew he'd never find his way out on his own, and hoped that meant the soldiers couldn't keep up. Abruptly, the trees thinned and emptied out to form a large sloping clearing. Zuko slowed as shouts rang out ahead of him. People in forest browns and greens ran towards them, waving their arms for reinforcements. Zuko skidded to a stop, the following villager almost running into his back.

His eyes darted through the trees, noting sentries perched on high branches. They were armed with bows and arrows, raising them as the village poured into the clearing and aiming behind them into the woods. He clutched the child in his arms tighter as several men ran up to them, more following behind. A large bald man with a bushy beard stopped in front of him, while the rest trotted to assist the villagers.

"What happened?" His voice was low and booming, filled with concern. "How many?"

"I don't know." Zuko's own voice was raspy from running. "We were just passing through."

Then man looked him up and down, taking in the children in his arms, the swords on his back, and the scar on his face. He gave Zuko a long, measured look and nodded sharply. "Go with the Duke. He'll see that the kids find their parents."

Zuko nodded. The Duke, standing a little ways off, motioned him forward with a wave of his hand. Zuko shifted the children and followed, eyes and ears alert for signs of treachery or pursuit. The boy on his shoulder gripped one of the hilts of his swords, running his hand up and down it absently. The Duke lead them deeper into the clearing to a smattering of enormous trees.

"These are ironwoods." The Duke said, his voice squeaking. "They're the only trees strong enough to support us."

"Support you how?" Zuko asked. The children were starting to feel heavier.

The Duke pointed. Up. Zuko craned his neck back. High above him, platforms ringing the trees grew into elaborate houses with multiple stories, soaring into the treetops. Rope bridges connected the platforms with zip lines just above them. Stocky wooden blocks led up the tree trunks for the more daring to climb up, while rope elevators hung at the ready for the rest. Benches, fire pits, and tents littered the ground under the elevated homes, swarming with people. Women gathered around the fires, stirring pots or roasting meat as the men strode towards the approaching villagers. Children laughed and ran, some with sticks in their hands as swords, others with baskets full of nuts and berries they had gathered from the woods. Zuko could see that many of them were barefoot but looked healthy and well fed. The forests were vast and dense. It would be…difficult for the Fire Nation to find them without a guide.

The Duke looked him over. "If you're hungry, stew should be done soon."

"Thanks." Zuko said. "I'm alright." The boy makes a small noise, indicating the opposite. "Erm…where can I get some of that?"

The Duke smiled, creasing his face in half. "I'll bring you some. Just stay here." He paced off towards one of the fires.

Zuko sighed. He turned and walked over to a large tree, settling the boy and his sister on the leave-strewn ground. The grass grew long around the base, reaching up to their shoulders. He turned to walk away, but a small hand reached out to clasp his pant leg. He looked around to see a small face looking up at him, tears leaking out of her eyes. He backed up and sat between them, his legs sticking out in front of him. The girl curled up against his side, her blonde hair standing out against his black tunic, her small fist curled into its fabric. Her brother leaned against his shoulder, eyes closed. Zuko reclined against the tree trunk, closing his own eyes. Now what?

When his eyes opened again, the sun was low in the sky. The boy and girl were still curled around his sides, his arms draped over their thin shoulders.

"Are they your kids?" His head snapped up, hands tightening instinctively around the sleeping children. A pair of large golden eyes stared back into his, studying him. They shone out of a tanned face, too tan for a child of the Earth or Fire Nation. Dark black hair tumbled over thin shoulders, barely kept in check by a thick braid. A girl was crouched between his knees, bent forward to inspect his face. "How'd you get that scar? What's your name?" He blinked at her. She couldn't have been more than six years old, dressed in a green tunic and pants, dirt stains on her knees. Fingerless gloves on her hands flexed with her excitement. "Are you my father?"

"What?" Zuko spluttered, wiggling to sit upright. "Who are you?"

"You are! You are my father!" the girl actually bounced with excitement. Zuko stared at her in horror. He most certainly was _not_. he opened his mouth for a biting denial.

"Kaya? What are you doing?" A voice that echoed briefly into his memory called. He looked up to see a young woman, not older than himself approaching, a wry look on her face. She wasn't tall but she was thin. Her thick brown hair curled to her shoulders in waves and bounces, restrained by a blue kerchief. Her clothes were simple, a tunic and loose pants that ended in high leather boots, all in the forestry brown and green that seemed popular here. Like the girl sitting in front of him, her skin was a rich nut-brown. But her eyes…her eyes were sapphire blue. The blue of the Water Tribes. Zuko gulped. "Kaya, are you bothering them?" She bent down to place a hand on the girl's shoulder, smiling. "I'm sorry-" she looked into Zuko's face and froze, her eyes widening and smile fading. Zuko stared back at her. Seven years had changed her face. Her cheekbones were more defined, removing traces of the girlish roundness he remembered. The hair loopies were gone, as was the necklace he had once withheld from her. A thin scar ran down the side of her face, dipping into her top lip. It was old, healed completely. His eyes slid from her face down her arm to where her hands gripped the girl's shoulders. His heart skipped a beat. Her hands were twisted and scarred, discolored from whatever had burned them. He winced inwardly at the sight. His element had hurt her. Again.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was low, trembling slightly. Her hands clasped the girl's, Kaya's, shoulders tighter, pulling her away from him slightly. "How…" she trailed off, searching his face. Zuko stiffened under her scrutiny. He knew what she would see: scar, thin cheeks, long black messy hair that just touched his shoulders, days' worth of stubble across his chin and cheeks. Fire Nation eyes. Enemy eyes. "…did you…" she seemed unable to continue, shock claiming her speech.

"Mom?" Zuko flinched. 'Mom'? His eyes flicked between them. The resemblance was clear. A brief hint of pink tinged Katara's cheeks. She loosened her grip on her daughter's shoulders and breathed out slowly, her posture stiffening, as if daring him to comment. "Mom, are you okay?"

"Yes, Kaya." Katara breathed. "I'm fine."

"Okay. Mom! Guess what? This is my dad!" she beamed at him.

It was Zuko's turn to flush pink as Katara's head whipped over to look at her daughter incredulously. He ducked his head, using the movement to check on the children sleeping beside him. The girl's thumb had crept into her mouth and she sucked it softly.

"Where did you get that idea?" Katara gasped out. Her body was so tense; Zuko was afraid she would strike him or scream or freeze the blood in his veins.

"His eyes are the same as mine." Kaya pointed at his face and he frowned. "No one else here has my eyes!"

"Kaya, many people here do." Katara yanked her pointing arm down. "This…man is _not_ your father." Her eyes darted back to Zuko, who stared back at her. He felt the best course of action here was to remain silent. "Go along and play, and wash your hands before you eat." Zuko's lips turned up in a half smile. That was the water bender he remembered, the mother of the Avatar's group. Kaya shot him one last beaming smile before rushing off into the foliage.

Katara moved herself forward, taking her daughter's spot. Her glance darted to the children sleeping on either side of him and back to his face. Her gaze turned into a glare and she braced one fist against the trunk beside his head, leaning in close to him.

"Did your father send you?" Her voice was low, almost a whisper but more venomous. Her eyes flicked between his, searching. He thought he saw a hint of desperation in their blue depths, but it was soon replaced by steel. "Did he send you to capture me?"

"No." Zuko breathed, looking sideways, unable to meet her eyes. Inside he was questioning: his father? "I'm here with my Uncle." She released a breath but didn't back down. "Katara-"

"No." she whispered, spitting the word at him. "Not Katara. My name is Chizu." She glared at him, as if daring him to question it.

"Chizu." He rolled the name off his tongue. "That's…nice."

She just kept glaring at him, the fist by his head twitching. But, he realized, not because she wanted it to. He could read the pain on her face. Slowly she lowered it, rubbing it gently with her other hand.

"What are you doing here, Zuko?" She said, flicking her eyes to the sleeping kids. "Are those…?"

"No." He denied hastily. "They were in the village. And it's Lee…my Uncle Mushi and I have been travelling for…a long time." He raised his eyes to hers, begging her the same request she had just given him. Please don't say anything, Katara.

She snorted softly, looking down at her hands. "Looks like we have something in common now." She looked back up at him, but her eyes weren't friendly. "We're both different people than we were."

He nodded. "Katara-"

"_**Chizu**_."

"Chizu, what-" But the girl sleeping on his arm woke crying and screaming. Zuko looked down in her in alarm. Her brother stirred and clambered across his lap to comfort her. Katara climbed over Zuko's leg to sit on the other side of the children, drawing the girl into her lap.

"Shhhh." She said, rocking the girl on her lap. "What's your name, sweetie?" Zuko looked on, feeling suddenly cold and useless.

"Amaru." The little girl whimpered, passing a fisted hand across her eyes.

"Amaru, do you know where your parents are?" Katara's voice was pitched low, comforting.

"No." Amaru whined. "They were in the house before, before he pulled us out." She reached for Zuko, letting out a long wail. With a look of surprise, Katara handed her back to Zuko, who awkwardly accepted her, wrapping his arms around her. Using the smallest amount of fire bending, he heated his arms slightly to give extra warmth to the embrace.

"Something I thought I'd never see." Katara muttered. Zuko shot her a mild glare. She shrugged. Zuko mimicked her rocking motion, and the girl soon quieted. "Have you fed them?" Zuko shook his head in the negative. "That might be your next step." She stood, reaching for the little boy's hand. "C'mon. We'll get you guys settled." Her voice was kind for the children, but the look she shot Zuko over her shoulder was full of unanswered questions and mistrust. "You can come too, Lee."

Zuko stood, Amaru whimpering softly in his arms. He hoped she had family he could give her too, an aunt or uncle or something. Cradling her head against his shoulder, former Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation followed Katara of the Southern Water Tribe towards a fire pit where stew bubbled hot and thick as the sky darkened above the lighted treetops.


	6. Chapter 6

_Far from home on a road unknown_

_Where the vultures circle on winds that blow_

_From northern skies that haunt these waking moments_

_**-Rise Against, Long Forgotten Sons**_

Iromh Romjak watched the woman he considered his daughter lead the prince of the Fire Nation towards the stew pots and frowned. He had recognized the young man despite his older, rougher appearance. Romjak had good sense when it came to people, but he couldn't read the golden eyes of the disgraced prince. But in the years he had known Chizu, she had never gotten that physically close to anyone besides him and his wife.

When he and his beloved wife, now deceased, had found the girl who called herself Chizu at the edge of their forest she had been wild, feral, and heavy with child. He had noticed her eyes immediately: Water Tribe eyes. At their approach she had jumped up and assumed a bending stance, but when she motioned, nothing happened. She had let out a whimpering scream and turned to run, but his wife had calmed her down. She always had a gentle touch with the wild ones. Chizu had returned to their wooded tree-top village with them, and less than two weeks later gave birth to her golden-eyed daughter; the same golden of the prince that same girl had zoned in on at once. Suspicions raced through Romjak's mind, but for the moment he kept his peace out of curiosity.

"I noticed him too, sir." Romjak turned to see the Duke standing at his side, helmet slung low over his eyes. He looked up at his headman, and matched his frown. "What do you want to do, sir?"

Romjak stroked his beard and thought. "For the moment, nothing. Make sure the children find their parents."

"Yes, sir." The Duke scampered off.

Romjak sighed and strode off towards camp. He and his wife had founded the village, affectionately known as Tree Town, almost eight years ago. They, and other refugees from their home village, had stumbled upon the abandoned tree houses after escaping from the Fire Nation. They fortified the rotting wood, built new levels, and improved on the design of the rope bridges. People began trickling in from the woods: other villagers who's homes had been burned, refugees from the Water Tribes, even several Fire Benders who dared to disagree with the Phoenix King and his maniac daughter Fire Lord. Romjak had allowed them all in, found them jobs, turned the straggly little community into a thriving town. But the danger of discovery was ever present. Raids did happen, more often than he would have liked. The bodies had to be dumped elsewhere: it wouldn't do to have patrols keep disappearing in the same area.

His wife had been killed in a raid five years ago by a Fire bender. Romjak had held her hand as she slipped into the Spirit World, her last words still reverberating in his mind: "Protect the girl. She is our future." He knew she had been talking about Chizu, about their adoptive daughter, though he didn't know why. After she passed, Chizu had stepped up to assume the duties of village headwoman: overseeing the women's duties, organizing the food preparation, settling disputes, and mending clothes. But he could tell she wasn't content. He had seen her watching the weapons masters practice yearningly, and had wondered again what her past was. When he asked, she fell quiet and only said that she needed a way to defend herself. After watching her try to work up the courage to ask one of the masters for lessons and fail, he approached Chi Lun, the knife master, himself. Chizu had been training with him at dawn every day, despite the pain and limited motion in her hands, and had grown in skill past what Chi Lun could teach her. Romjak, a non-bender himself, couldn't have been prouder of her skill, and her drive.

As he strode into camp, he motioned for his leaders to gather people up for the village 'orientation.' Chi Lun and his other weapons instructors nodded and began ushering people towards the center of the village where a large open space lay. Romjak leaped onto a small platform and searched the gathering crowd for Chizu. He spotted her towards the back, making her way towards the center. Most of his people knew to move out of her way, but the new arrivals didn't. He could see the stress on her face as she was jostled and bumped, shrinking a little more each time. He was about to motion to Chi Lun to go to her assistance, but someone else already had.

Zuko thought the stew tasted like old hogmonkey stewed in its own juices, but the kids seemed to like it. Katara coaxed them with smiles and silly motions into eating it, pretending the spoon was a dragon and their mouths were its lair. They giggled and ate it up.

He didn't know if he should try to talk to her, apologize, stay silent. He didn't know if he should drag up their past and remind her all over again of how he had chased them across the world, betrayed her personally in Ba Sing Se only to rejoin his father and stand by as he destroyed the world. She wouldn't know that he was on his way to join them when the Avatar had been struck down before his eyes. That he had assumed her dead or captured with all the other members of the water tribe until he heard about his father's obsession. Even then, he couldn't be sure it was her.

"Lee." Katara said, and he looked up from his bowl. He could have sworn he saw an eyeball a moment ago… "Lee, this is Amaru and Maki's grandfather."

Zuko looked up to see an older man with greying brown hair and wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. It was a worn face, leathery from days in the sun. He smiled down at his grandchildren as they ran to hug him. Zuko stood, a beat behind Katara. The old man looked him up and down, taking in his swords, his scar, his eyes, and extended his hand. Zuko hesitated only a moment before clasping it.

"Thank you." The man's voice was choked with emotion. "Thank you." He lifted Amaru to his shoulder and took Maki's hand in his own and walked back to rejoin the crowd. Zuko watched them go, feeling a strange sense of loss, rejection. He turned to see Katara watching him, arms crossed across her chest.

"What now?" he asked, his voice coming out hoarser than he liked.

She looked him up and down again, as if looking for a visible clue of his intentions. "What are you doing here?"

"Just passing through." Zuko muttered.

"You're not here for your father?" the question had an edge of desperation to it. Zuko felt mildly annoyed.

"No." his tone was sharp. "I told you already that he didn't send me. In case you haven't heard, I'm not exactly his favorite person."

"Were you ever?" Katara shot back, leaning forward with narrowed eyes. "I thought your sister always claimed that _honor_."

Zuko flinched, his hands balling into fists at his side. Honor. The word that had propelled him across the world so many years ago, that he thought his father could restore to him after he himself had taken it away. "She's always been his favorite. They think alike."

"And you don't?" Katara scoffed. "It was pretty obvious in Ba Sing Se who's side you were on."

"That was a long time ago." Zuko practically shouted. They were drawing an audience as people passed them to join the assembly. "I've changed. I woke up to the reality that my father was not motivated by the good of the world, by extending the reach of the Fire nation for the good of the people. I _left_," he stepped closer to her and she didn't budge. "because I'm not like them. I can't sacrifice the lives of others for a pointless power trip." 

"Could have fooled me." Katara hissed. "Aang is _dead_, Zuko."

Again, it was like a slap to the face. "I know." He murmured, relaxing his stance. "And the Avatar hasn't been reborn yet."

Hurt flashed across Katara's face and she looked down. "When…when Azula shot Aang in the back under Ba Sing Se, she locked his chi. He lost touch with the Avatar spirit." She looked up at Zuko, her face hardening. "The Avatar isn't going to be reborn, Zuko."

Zuko didn't know what to say. It was a shock, of course, but something his Uncle had already theorized on to him. It wasn't a new idea, but definitely something he hadn't wanted confirmed.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled. He didn't want to look up and see the scorn on her face. A single apology couldn't take back years of hurt and violence. Of him not siding with her.

"It _is_ partly your fault." Katara sighed and he looked up. Her face was thoughtful. "But I…don't blame you, not entirely." She stomped forward and stuck her finger in his face. "But that doesn't mean I trust you!"

Zuko frowned and pushed her accusatory finger out of his face. "I've changed, Katara. I'm…who I'm supposed to be. Not a Prince of the Fire Nation, not my sister's brother, not ruled by my father's opinion. I'm…just me."

"You've said that before." She hissed back at him, stepping forward. "And words are only words."

He realized how close they were standing, her nose almost touching his chin. Her arms were pulled back, as if ready to strike, but her eyes shone with hurt and confusion.

"I never realized you were that short." The words slipped out before he could stop them and he cringed inwardly. What had he just said?

"What did you just say?" she gasped, clearly taken aback.

"I mean, I know you're a girl and everything, but you're kind of…mini." He passed his hand over her head to further demonstrate his meaning.

She stood opening and closing her mouth, clearly dumbfounded.

"Mom! Mom!" Zuko let out a breath as Kaya ran up to them, breaking the tense silence. Kaya flung herself against Katara's legs, making her stumble a little bit. "Mom! Romjak is calling an assembly, we have to go." She smiled brightly up at him from around her mother's hip. "Hi Daddy!"

Zuko coughed in surprise. "Err…"

"Kaya," Katara knelt down to look at her. "This man…is not-"

"It's okay mom." Kaya said, patting her exasperated mother on the head. "You don't have to tell. I know he's my father, so you don't have to say anything." Katara groaned and tried to start again, but Kaya had already skipped away. "I'll meet you there, mom! Bye Dad!"

"I'm sorry." Katara groaned, standing up. "I don't know why she's not listening."

"It's okay." Zuko said. "I understand wanting to choose your own father."

Katara snorted. "C'mon, you have to be there for the orientation." She moved as if to grip his hand, but dropped her arm. "I guess I don't need to lead you there." She smirked at him. "I'm used to leading children around."

She turned to walk towards the gathering and he caught her shoulder. She violently flinched away and whirled on him with horror in her eyes. He stepped back, raising his hands in surrender, eyes wide.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't touch me." she said, her chest heaving. It was a weird combination of a plea and a command. "Please, Zuko. Don't…don't touch me."

"I'm sorry." Zuko had a sudden feeling that he would be apologizing as long as he stayed in this village.

"Let's go."

She led the way towards where the entire village had gathered, either in the trees or on the ground among the tents. Voices cheered and shouted, limbs swayed and raised. From above, in the trees came the voices of the villagers raised in joyous songs. Newcomers were always welcome. It meant more workers, more defenses, more help. Torches had been lit along the trees and in the above homes, lighting the way through the darkening forest. Zuko saw people of all shades wearing all colors. He saw green eyes and brown eyes, and caught glimpses of gold. Once he thought he saw blue. He wondered where Katara's brother was, if he was here or dead or worse. He didn't think it'd help to ask.

He watched as Katara moved through the crowd, how the villagers moved aside and tapped others to do the same as she passed by. She passed them with small smiles and words of thanks. But as they got further in towards the front, even though they were on the outskirts, the crowd became thicker with newcomers who didn't know to move aside. He watched her flinch and twitch with each bump, each jostle. She came to a halt in a small pocket of space, panting, eyes searching restlessly for a path.

On instinct, Zuko reached out and caught her hand and held on when she tried to shake him off. She turned on him with panicked eyes and started to claw at his hand with her nails.

"Trust me." He stared her down. "Trust me, Kata-Chizu."

People around them were starting to take notice of her antics, frowns on their faces. She glanced around and licked her lips.

"Take a deep breath." He said. "And come on."

She took the breath, inhaling slowly, and nodded, gripping his hand back. He began to wind his way through the crowd, Katara on his heels. He moved people aside with a hand on their backs or shoulders, steering them from his path. Her hand gripped his tighter and tighter, making him wince. Finally, they reached the platform where Romjak stood and Zuko dropped her hand immediately. She stood still for a moment, looking at him, before nodding her head.

"Thank you, Lee." She took another deep, shaking breath, and stepped forward to join Romjak on the platform to the cheers of the villagers. The newcomers clapped along confusedly, and Zuko heard his Uncle's voice.

"Lee! Lee! Nephew!" His Uncle stood in front of the dais, waving frantically at him. Zuko walked to join him, relieved that Iroh was alright and hadn't gotten himself in trouble yet. "Lee, where have you been?"

"Just…getting something to eat." Zuko murmured, looking up at Romjak. The village headman was looking back at him; suspicion, confusion, gratitude all mixing together on his face. He gave Zuko a curt nod and began to introduce himself and Katara, as Chizu, as his daughter.

"We got assigned tents next to each other." Iroh whispered to Zuko, nudging him in the side with his elbow. "Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, great." Zuko sighed. Then he frowned. "Does that mean we're staying here, Uncle?"

"I'm tired of walking, Lee." Iroh said, completely tuning out Romjak's words. "Aren't you?"

Zuko grimaced. Of course he was tired of walking. But a simple life as a tree-dwelling peasant wasn't exactly his idea of a solution to that problem. Katara's unexpected appearance didn't exactly make this the smartest idea either. Though he was sure she'd consider it beneath her, she could betray them whenever he pissed her off too bad.

"For now, Uncle." He said, eyes fixed on Katara. Her face turned just slightly and she caught his gaze. A half-smirk crossed her face and she looked forward again. "We can stay here for now."

**A.N.** Sorry for the slow build, I promise it'll get more interesting soon Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

_You said I'm stubborn and I never give in_

_I think you're stubborn 'cept you're always softening_

_You say I'm selfish, I agree with you on that_

_**-Adele, My Same**_

"That…_really_ does not look right."

Zuko's nostrils flared as the half-formed tent in his hands crumbled into a mess of poles in his hands. "I wasn't finished."

"I can tell." The smug, lilting tone in Katara's voice was infuriating. "Shouldn't someone who's been travelling for years know how to pitch a tent?"

"I'm great at pitching tents." Zuko growled, turning around to scowl at Katara, only to see her bust into a giggle fit. Realizing what he had said, Zuko blushed and turned away. "That's not the way I meant it."

"I know." Katara smirked down at him. "Do you need help?"

"I'll be fine." Zuko muttered, attempting to continue building his tent. It was well into the evening, firebugs flashing everywhere around him. Romjak's speech about everyone working together, village safety precaution, and more of what Zuko considered 'Avatar-feel-good-words' had lasted only over an hour. Newcomers had been directed to grab a bowl of stew and report to their assigned living space. Zuko had retrieved tents for himself and his Uncle and had reported to the base of a group of ironwoods like a good little villager. Iroh was busy chatting with a group of Earth Kingdom villagers beside the roaring bonfire in the center of the clearing, and Zuko had taken it upon himself to set up for both of them. In the next few days they were supposed to receive a more permanent placement once things were shuffled around up above in the treehouses. Iroh's tent had gone up without a hitch, but his was refusing to cooperate. And of course, now the spirits-cursed waterbender would show up.

"Are you sure?" she sounded like she was struggling not to laugh at him again. "I've done hundreds of these."

"You've pitched hundreds of tents?" Zuko's eyebrow twitched.

Katara opened and closed her mouth. Zuko felt a smug satisfaction. He could play too.

"What job did you get?" She blurted, stepping around him to grasp a couple of the tent poles and snap them together.

"Blacksmith. Sort of." Zuko said, pulling fabric onto the ends of poles. Stupid design. Stupid Earth Kingdom design.

"Moswren's nice." Katara said. At Zuko's blank look, she said: "The blacksmith. His name is Moswren."

"Oh. That's good." The tent popped up, properly assembled. "Listen, Katara-"

"Chizu." She amended quietly.

"Chizu." Zuko cleared his throat. "I know that, you know, I used to chase you and your friends around the world, but-"

"Zuko-"

"Lee."

"Lee." Katara sighed. "That was…a lifetime ago. So many things have happened since we were under Ba Sing Se." He saw her hands twitch reflexively in her lap, saw the look of loss on her face. "I know people can change. I have." She met his eyes, hands clasping together in front of her. "But," He cringed: there was always a 'but'. "the last time I extended my trust to you, you slammed it back in my face and tried to kill Aang." She smiled, he thought sadly, at him. "I don't know if I can ever fully forgive or trust you."

"I understand." Zuko said, bowing his head. "I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm asking for a chance at redemption."

"We can only receive redeem from ourselves, nephew." Zuko and Katara jumped as Iroh spoke from behind them. The old man beamed at the tents. "Wonderful job, Lee! The tents look wonderful."

"Thanks, Uncle."

"Miss Chizu." Iroh bowed his head towards her, and she returned the gesture. "Thank you for allowing two travelers to rest at your lovely home."

"Of course, Mushi." Katara smiled at him. "I hope you find it comfortable." Her eyes darted to Zuko and back again. "Do you know how long you'll be staying?"

"As long as my nephew will let me." The old man chuckled. "His feet are restless, much like his spirit."

Katara's smile only looked a little forced. "Great." She looked around her, at the bonfire in the clearing, at Zuko's tent, and down to her own hands. "Well, I'll see you both at breakfast?" She directed the question to Iroh. He beamed at her.

"Of course! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

Katara left with a laugh. Zuko watched her wind her way through the camp, waving at people she recognized, but never touching anyone. He remembered the Avatar's waterbender being much very…liberal with hugs.

"Are you alright nephew?" Zuko nodded. "It is hard to face one's past demons, especially when one has worked so hard to leave them in the past."

"Yes, Uncle."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"That's stupid!"

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is! Why would you boil them when you could fry them?"

"That's a stupid question."

"No it's not!"

The people around them rolled their eyes and smiled as the pair wandered across the forest floor. After two months of hearing it, they were used to Chizu bickering with the newcomer Lee over…pretty much everything. While the newcomers were slightly shocked, the longtime residents only smiled. It was so nice to see her speaking in a way that wasn't a part of her chores, of her duty. They get to see _her_, not her doing a job. Most of them had grown up around Romjak's adoptive daughter, and while she did have friends, they were few and far between. She wasn't known for being an open person about herself. But if someone's clothes had been chewed on by a lemur or someone didn't like their neighbor's smelly socks on the clothesline, she was the first one there with a smile and a solution.

The newcomers had been introduced to Chizu as someone of importance, someone they had to listen to. Seeing her bickering over how to cook eels with someone they arrived with was…weird. Like they knew each other. And had for a long time. The residents had questions of their own, but kept them to themselves. For the time being, anyway.

"Well, if you ever took a turn cooking, we'd find out which is better!"

"I'm a man! I have _manly_ duties!"

"Hahahahahaha! Duty…"

"Wow, you're so mature."

"Shut up. At least I don't throw temper tantrums."

"It wasn't a temper tantrum! He dropped a hammer on my _foot_."

"Wuss."

"You're rude."

"Yup."

"Don't you have work to do?"

"Don't _you_?"

"…Shut up."

Zuko retreated, going back to his job at the blacksmith's tent near the edge of the village. He heard Katara's laughter following him and steam bellowed from his nose. But at least she was talking to him. It hadn't taken her long to take up teasing him. And while he was glad she felt comfortable enough around him to jibe him at every chance she got, he wasn't sure it was better than the silent treatment. He knew people were talking. Questions wouldn't be far behind.

The blacksmith, Moswren, was Romjak's cousin and was even more platypus-bear in form than he was. He was a tall burly Earth bender with massive arms and a beard only slightly less bushy than Romjak's. His laugh was deep and his eyes were bright. He glanced up at Zuko from his place by the forge, a pair of long tongs in one mitted hand, a red hot sword blade in the other. Sparks flew in dizzying circles around him, threatening to ignite his beard. He jerked his chin in greeting as Zuko pushed aside the tent flap.

"Keep the flames steady while I pound this motherfucker out." He also had a foul mouth. Zuko grimaced and shed his outer tunic and shirt, leaving him in his light sleeveless undershirt. It was hot, tedious work. When Romjak was handing out jobs their second night in the village, the blacksmith had jumped at the chance to have a fire bending assistant. Iroh hadn't been let off easy either: he was the new assistant instructor of the children's lessons. Zuko hadn't seen his Uncle's face light up at the idea.

He pumped fire from his fists into the forge, keeping the flames at a constant heat while Moswren brought his hammer down on the folded steel. Zuko knew it would be folded over and over again to remove impurities in the steel and forge a harder blade capable of withstanding battles for decades. He had watched swords being made in the Fire Nation, where it was a sacred process. The swords were considered the soul of the soldier and must be pure.

A giggle reached them from outside the tent they worked in. Zuko looked around, seeing a pair of girls standing beside the flap. They were young, maybe seventeen, and dressed in the common brown and green leggings and tunics that most of the villagers wore. As he met their eyes, they giggled harder and ran off. Zuko shook his head and wiped the sweat from his brow, turning back to the forge. A few moments later the giggles returned. Zuko whipped his head around to see a trio of different girls, who scampered off when he glared at them.

"What's their problem?" Zuko gritted his teeth, feeling the burning sparks from Moswren's blows landing on his skin. He grimaced, but kept the heat steady.

Moswren snorted, bringing the hammer crashing down. "Isn't it obvious, boy? You're new meat!" He bellowed with laughter.

"What?" Zuko yelled, the fire blazing hotter for only a moment.

"You're the new 'object of desire' to these poor girls." Moswren grunted. "They can't go in to town, they've grown up with most of the men here. You're new blood, fresh cock, whichever."

The redness of Zuko's face no longer had anything to do with the flame in front of him. "That's…great." His voice cracked just a little, and Moswren roared with laughter again.

Even Fire benders need breaks from the flame sometimes. Zuko sat outside Moswren's smithing tent, an almost empty cup of water in his hands. No less than seven girls had stopped by to ogle him. He really did feel like meat on display.

"Whatcha doin'?"

Zuko twitched. He glared up from under his hair to see Kaya standing in front of him, golden eyes staring at him.

"Taking a break." He wiped sweat from the side of his face, wiping it on his trouser leg. "You?"

"Visiting you." Kaya sat down next to him, stretching her legs out on the grass.

Zuko observed her from the corner of his eye. The shape of her face reminded him of Katara. Her hair, braided back from her face and curled into a knot, definitely reminded him of her. It was darker, but just as wild as hers. But her eyes…the shape and slant of them reminded him of someone else. Her skin, just a few shades lighter than Katara's but darker than his own was a nice mix. He liked the soft brown.

"Do you have a job?" he asked her, more out of awkwardness than curiosity.

"I gather berries." An edge, a slight tone to her voice was familiar too. She spoke with a sort of sharp quickness, like she had everything she was about to say already planned out. But it was not a cruel voice. She was a nice kid. "I help to go fishing. I take care of the ostrich horses and eel hounds. I do a lot." She grinned up at him. "I like to help people."

"That's good." Zuko said. "That's…a good way to be."

"Do you like to help people?" Kaya pulled up a handful of grass and let it drop on his knee. Zuko's eyebrow twitched.

"Yes."

"That's good." Kaya said, adding more grass to his knee. "Do you like sea prunes?"

"I don't know. Probably not."

"Mushi does. He ate twenty of them for lunch." Kaya giggled, adding a purple and white flower to the small pile on his knee. "I don't like them. They smell awful."

"I would imagine." Zuko looked down at the girl. "I have to go back to work."

"Okay." Kaya sprung up. "You should keep the flower. It's mom's favorite."

"What's it called?" Zuko twirled the short stem between his fingers. It was a simple flower, its five petals colored with reddish-purple swirled together with white.

"Moon fire drop." Kaya skipped off. Zuko brushed the grass off his pants and stood, shoving the flower into his pocket absently.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***Line break***

He woke to the sense that something was very, very wrong. His tent was warm, the ground was dry, and he had actually slept through the night for the first time. It was hard to live around people again after almost a decade of quiet nights on the road or in the forest. People were noisy. And a constant potential threat.

Zuko strapped his swords to his back, knowing that if everything was fine he'd get strange looks, but Uncle had taught him to trust his senses and instincts. He pushed the tent flaps aside to find the sun barely rising, the sky splashed with orange and purple, streaks of black running through the waking sky. He stretched, noting the sentries along the tree line. There were more than usual. Their bows were in their hands; some even had arrows notched to the bowline. The hair on the back of Zuko's neck prickled. He turned, scanning the perimeters of the village, and noted a solitary figure in blue at the southernmost entryway.

Katara didn't flinch when Zuko stood next to her, just continued scanning the forest. The wind rustled through Zuko's hair, blowing the long dark strands across his face. The forest was silent. Something was coming.

"Your sister chased us too."

Zuko looked over at Katara as she spoke. "What?"

Katara took a big breath of air, letting it out slowly. Zuko looked down to notice her hands shaking. "For almost a week, Azula and those two girls with her chased us and we couldn't get away. We couldn't sleep because she would find us. Toph could sense them coming and warn us, but finally we were too exhausted to run." She glanced at him. "I have that feeling now. The feeling of being chased, and having nowhere to run."

"That was the last time I saw you before Ba Sing Se." Zuko muttered, remembering. "You offered to heal my Uncle."

"I'm glad he was okay." Katara's head snapped up as, in front of them, twigs snapped. "Zuko?" He looked over at her. "Watch my back."

It was less a request than a plea. Zuko saw the look on her face: half brave, half petrified. In response, he extended his hand to her. She laced her fingers with his, and turned to face the menacing forest. Zuko saw her jaw clench and chin raise before he faced the forest as well.

From behind him, loud footsteps approached, crunching over leaves and twigs. Zuko didn't turn as Romjak came to stand on Katara's other side as his Uncle strode forward to stand at his. He could feel the press of bodies amass behind as the able members of the village came to stand in defense of their home as the first warning arrow whistled through the trees from the sentries. Another arrow followed. Then another.

Zuko lit his fist as the first red armored body appeared through the trees.


	8. Chapter 8

_A warning to the people,_

_The good and the evil, _

_This is war_

_**-This is War, Thirty Seconds to Mars**_

Zuko ducked a Fire Bender's armored, flaming fist for what felt like, and what probably was, the hundredth time. He stood back to back with Katara in the center of the battle, dodging then punching, kicking and lunging with his Dao blades. He had expected Katara to use her bending, but instead she produced a seemingly endless supply of sharp, flat knives from inside her sleeves. She threw with deadly accuracy, and all the hidden spots she shoved the knives into made Zuko wonder how she wasn't shredded to ribbons under her clothes.

Battle raged all around them, whirling and spinning like a tempest. Romjak was levelling Fire Nation soldiers with a two-handed battle axe, cutting them down two at a time. His cousin Moswren was lobbying rocks into the oncoming forces, and they weren't little rocks. Zuko couldn't see his Uncle, but he suspected he was guarding the children. A sudden worry for Kaya flashed across his mind, but he pushed it back. Now was not the time. He narrowly avoided a wayward fist aimed at Chi Lin and thrust his sword through the midsection of the soldier in front of him. The man went down, leaving bloody streaks on Zuko's sword.

He whirled, not able to see Katara. The fight was winding down; the Fire Nation hadn't expected this much resistance and skill. Zuko traded blows with an armored, masked soldier, all the while glancing frantically trying to locate Katara. He grunted as a well-aimed elbow met his cheekbone and he staggered backwards a few steps. Looking up, his eyes caught on a scrap of blue from behind the soldier, disappearing into the woods pursued by a massive red figure.

"Katara!" Zuko roared, starting to go after her but the soldier in front of him struck a firey arc across his path. With a snarl, Zuko lobbed his arm off with a quick sweeping blow. The soldier went down with a scream and Zuko leapt over his body to pursue Katara's retreating form.

He ran through more and more pockets of quiet until most of the diminished fighting was left behind him. Katara and her pursuer were locked in combat a few dozen paces into the woods, Katara's back to a large boulder. Annoyance flashed through Zuko's mind that she hadn't alerted him to her change of location and wondered what in the spirit's name she would be doing out here anyway.

Katara lashed out with her knives, striking at her opponent's weak spots. The soldier grunted and dodged, throwing fireballs back at her but missing. Zuko heard, to his horror, a small squeaking scream from behind Katara and glimpsed Kaya's terrified face. She must have snuck away to watch the battle and been attacked: a two inch gash on her forehead bled sluggishly. Katara snarled at the sound of her daughter's whimper and attacked more ferociously, leaping forward to come body-to-body with the soldier.

Zuko sped up, knowing her mistake. She was too light, too much smaller than her opponent. He would have a massive advantage. She seemed to realize this as her opponent bodily slammed her back, her eyes widening for just a moment before her head cracked on the massive stone behind her. She slumped to the ground, eyes closing.

"Katara!" Zuko's cries joined Kaya's as he reached her, standing over her mother. The attacking Fire Bender advanced.

"Don't hurt her!" Zuko turned as Kaya yelled, intending to hold her back, protect her, when the child let loose a stream of ice blue lightning straight into her attacker's heart. The man fizzled with sparks as he collapsed backwards, his armor sizzling. Zuko couldn't move. Lighting…too advanced for someone Kaya's age. He turned to look at her again, and took a step back at the sight of her eyes. The golden yellow was gone, eradicated, replaced instead by an all-encompassing blue that glowed from her sockets. Sliding into an Earth Bender crouch, Kaya raised her fist and stomped, bringing the earth up to swallow the Fire Bender's body. The glow faded as she returned to a normal stance, and she looked up at Zuko with tears in her eyes.

"Please don't tell." The tears fell as she spoke, running down her face in rivulets to soak the earth beneath her. "Please."

"I won't." Zuko squatted down to face Kaya – Avatar Kaya. His head felt like Moswren was pounding it with his hammer. "We'll talk about it later, okay?"

Kaya nodded mournfully and ran into his arms, knocking him back onto his heels in surprise and hugging him fiercely. Zuko sat frozen for a moment before he patted her back in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

"Let me check on your mom." He said after a few moments, peeling the child Avatar off of himself. Kaya nodded but grabbed onto his hand.

Zuko walked the few paces over to where Katara lay motionless. There was a wound on the back of her skull that bled into her hair, soaking it and turning it to a rust-colored matt.

"Do you have any water?" he asked Kaya. She nodded, producing a water skin that sloshed with movement. He poured a little into his hand and used it to sluice away the blood around the wound. It didn't look deep, but he had never been good at judging that sort of thing. He poured more water carefully around it.

"Zuko, Let me." It was all voices in that spoke. The hair standing up on the back of his neck, Zuko turned to face Kaya and the child's eyes were again glowing with the connection to her past lives. Bending the water from the skin, she brought it to her hands where it glowed an iridescent blue turquoise. Zuko scrambled out of the way as Avatar Kaya bent forward to heal the crack in her mother's skull, then turn to him. "It was worse than you thought. She showed me how to do it once, a long time ago."

The voice that spoke distinctly a…he recognized it. "Avatar? I mean…Aang?"

Kaya's face smiled slightly before the glow faded out, leaving just Kaya. She stumbled slightly, and looked up at Zuko with wide questioning eyes. He just stared at her in response. She blinked slowly, and he thought she looked like she was about to fall asleep. There _had_ been a lot of energy rushing through her…

Katara moaned slightly beside them, still unconscious. Zuko nudged her gently, and when she didn't stir he lifted her in his arms and began to walk back to camp. When Kaya didn't follow, he looked back to see her still swaying on her feet, looking after him dazedly. With a resigned sigh, Zuko walked back and knelt down so Kaya could hop on his back. She looped her arms around his neck gently and laid her head on his shoulder. He stood with a grunt. They weren't as heavy as they should have been, but they definitely weren't iguana parrots.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"Nephew!" Iroh ran towards the emerging figure of his nephew. The boy looked alright, a few minor scrapes and one long, shallow, jagged cut on his jaw. Iroh hadn't been able to find Zuko when the fighting had come to a stop. Romjak and his people had defeated all the soldiers and were busy gathering up the wounded and taking them to the center of camp where the bonfire would be built in the evening. "Nephew! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Uncle." Zuko said. To Iroh he sounded tired, but he also supposed he could be being strangled by the small child on his back. Zuko shifted the unconscious girl in his arms. "Katara hit her head."

"We should take _Chizu_," Iroh said, emphasizing her assumed name. "to the middle of camp. They are taking care of the wounded there."

"Thanks, Uncle." Zuko said, and began to walk that way.

"Hold on, Lee." Iroh chuckled, walking quickly to keep up. "It seems you have a hog-monkey on your back."

"I'm not a hog monkey!" Came the engraged squeal. Iroh could hear the exhaustion in the small voice.

"So you are not! Why don't you come with me and we will get you something to eat?" Iroh pried Kaya's arms from around Zuko's neck and lifted her off his back into his own arms.

"Okay." The girl sighed, relaxing in Iroh's hold.

"You should eat too, nephew." Iroh told Zuko's back as the younger man walked away.

"I will, Uncle."

Iroh watched his nephew carry the woman towards the center of camp. He had recognized the young lady as well and was delighted at the response she had to Zuko. Instead of the animosity he had expected, she had seemed open to forgiveness and Zuko had responded well. He wondered how long his nephew would be content 'playing house' in the village: it was not in his destiny to live like this forever. Perhaps some meddling was necessary…

"As long as it's not sea prunes." He looked down to see the waterbender's daughter looking up at him.

"What was that, my dear?"

"As long as what we're eating isn't sea prunes it's fine." Kaya repeated, glaring at him suspiciously. "I know you like them."

Iroh smiled at her. "Let us see what we can find."

Kaya nodded once. "Do you like fireflakes?"

"Of course! They are one of my favorite snacks."

"Mine too!"

"I think we are going to be great friends."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Zuko felt torn. Half of him knew that any death was a tragedy of war, and should be treated as such. But the rest of him was elated at the rush of battle, the smooth dance of death that his sword wielded. His blood sang in his veins, pumping sweet adrenal euphoria through his entire self. The feeling of doing something important, something he was good at, using his skills…nothing beat that.

"Put me down." Katara's voice was gravelly and slightly slurred, her eyes halfway open.

"You hit your head." Zuko said, his own voice gravelly enough to match hers.

"Nuh uh."

"Yuh huh." Zuko glared down at her, seeing her slight frown. "I saw it happen."

Recognition flashed in her bleary eyes. "You were there. You saved me."

Zuko started to protest, to tell her Kaya did, but he closed his mouth. She didn't know her daughter was the Avatar. And he did _not_ want to be the one to tell her. "I had help."

She smiled, closing her eyes. "Put me down."

"I will as soon as we get to the doctors."

"I feel fine!"

"You probably have a concussion."

"Are you saying I'm brain damaged?"

"I already thought that."

"Put me down, Zuko."

"Lee."

"I can walk on my own!" She started wriggling in his arms and he gave in, setting her feet on the ground. He kept one arm around her shoulders as she tottered unsteadily forward a step before swaying. He looped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. One arm went to his chest, grasping behind his neck for balance, her thumb reaching up his cheek to brush his ear. Her front pressed against his, her nose lifting to brush his chin. Heat fluttered in his chest as she looked up at him, her cheek pressed against his. They stood for a breath, two, before he put an arm behind her knees and lifted her into his arms again.

"Not very well." He tried to keep the tremble out of his voice. He hadn't had that much contact with another person in…years. He could see in the blush of her cheeks that she hadn't either.

"Shut up." She shot him a poisonous look and crossed her arms as he started walking towards the medical set-up.

Zuko wound his way through the blankets laid out on the ground, each occupied by a wounded body. Some groaned, some cried, some were entirely silent. Zuko could hear birds starting to chirp again and some of the leftover tension vanished. The forest wasn't hiding anymore. Katara stared around with worried eyes, pointing out to him where a bandage could be wrapped tighter, where stitches were still needed. He listened to her absently, noting that she was right every time. She had a sharp eye for people in pain.

Healers roamed between lines of bodies, offering water and food to patients who had already been checked over. At Zuko's approach, several of them came rushing over, relieved to see Katara alive. As they reached to touch her, Zuko felt her cringe into him, away from the oncoming healers. He subtly turned his body so that she faced away from them, as if he was looking for something.

"Where do you want her?" he asked, staring them down, daring them to reach for her.

The man in front, Zuko thought his name was Bao, frowned at him. He looked at Katara's face and his face relaxed. He understood.

"You can set her anywhere. I'm sure Healer Chizu knows what's best for herself." He gave a small bow in her direction. Zuko was confused for half a beat, before he realized who Chizu was.

"I hit my head, Bao." Katara piped up. Zuko set her shakily on her feet, staying close in case she toppled over. "I can't really see that myself."

Bao nodded and gestured her over to a tree stump. She sat, fists balling on her knees. Zuko watched her shrink from the healer's touch but he persevered, being as gentle as he could. He turned to Zuko.

"Was there anything you needed?" He asked. The rest of the healers turned to look at him, eyes curious.

"Erm…" Katara looked at him and smiled. His lips quirked up to return it, almost against his will. "No. Nothing else. I'm fine."

"Well, if there is nothing else, I'm sure Romjak could use your help." The healer had a look on his face that Zuko wasn't sure he liked.

"With what?"

Bao looked him in the eye. "Body relocation."

"We move the bodies," Romjak grunted as he heaved another lifeless armored body into the back of a large wagon. The eelhound tethered to the front of it hissed violently as the wagon rocked. Romjak sent it a look and it calmed down, grumbling slightly in its long throat. Romjak turned back to Zuko. "because it would be very suspicious if Fire Nation patrols kept disappearing in the same area."

"So where do you dump them?" Zuko hauled a body of his own over to the wagon, lifting it up into the bed in one fluid motion. It felt good to use muscles he hadn't in a long time. He felt like he should be wearing his mask.

"All over. Different places. We hope that it's assumed they got off track." Romjak stretched his spine. "I think that's all."

Two wagons were piled high with Fire Nation corpses. Most of the 'volunteers' hopped into the bed of a third wagon; Zuko joined them. Romjak sat at the front of the first wagon, Chi Lin took the second, and a third unknown person clicked his tongue at the eelhound of Zuko's wagon. It lurched forward, hissing. The wagons creaked and rattled as they moved out, swaying their passengers from side to side. Zuko lurched back and forth with the others, wondering what Katara was doing.

They drove for almost three hours into the surrounding woods, coming out on the other side. Zuko was the first to jump down from the wagon, landing squarely on his feet. He noticed Romjak eyeing him and turned away. He didn't know what Romjak thought about him, and was hesitant to find out.

"I find it's easiest," Chi Lin stood next to him, holding up a body. Zuko eyed him. The man was lean and wiry, built like a striking snake. His hair was dark against his paler skin, eyes a muddy mix of gold and brown. "to stand them up," he demonstrated, putting the body on its limp feet. "and let them fall at different angles." He let the corpse drop, and it slumped backwards, limbs sprawling to its sides at odd angles. "Looks more natural that way." He looked at Zuko with a straight face. He seemed humorless to Zuko, a man who was always serious.

"Thanks." Zuko nodded at him. Chi Lin nodded back and left to get another body. Zuko lifted a body down from the wagon and sagged under the weight. It was a big body, one of the giant Fire Benders who had been cut down by Romjak. He half-dragged the body a few feet from the one Chi Lin had dropped and stood the massive body on its feet. He let it fall sideways, and it fell with one arm on its chest. All around him people employed mostly the same method, resulting in a hodgepodge of fallen bodies. To Zuko it looked fine on the surface, but any deep investigation would reveal no blood spatter near the bodies, the wounds wouldn't make sense.

When the last body had been unloaded, Romjak let out an ear-piercing whistle and the men clambered back into the wagons. Zuko ended up next to Chi Lin on the second wagon, sitting next to him as he drove back to the village. Romjak joined the convoy after a moment, having used Earth Bending to erase the wagon tracks.

"I saw you with your swords." Chi Lin said, looking sideways at Zuko. "Your form is perfect."

"Yours as well." Zuko returned, looking straight ahead.

"We could use more people like you." Chi Lin said, twitching the reins. "People who know what they are doing, and care enough about others to watch after them."

Zuko turned to him. The man was looking at him, eyes unreadable. "Your people are brave. I'm sure you would be able to teach them."

"I do not have the patience." Chi Lin turned away. "I am not a people person. But you," he poked a finger into Zuko's shoulder. "I have seen how Chizu trusts you, and her daughter. How people feel comfortable around you, even though you do not seek them out. Moswren speaks highly of you and your dedication to a job you did not choose for yourself."

"There are many things in my life I didn't choose." Zuko said, running a hand over his scar.

"But you persevere, and make them your own." Chi Lin replied. "You are adaptable. That is valuable for an instructor."

"I've never taught anyone anything." Zuko growled. He didn't want to be responsible for these people.

"There is an old saying in my village." Chi Lin said, again eyeing him sideways. 'Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and _some have greatness thrust upon them.'"_

_Zuko nodded. "My Uncle is also fond of saying that." He sighed. "He says that even those who are born into positions of power aren't always destined to be great, that sometimes it is the people who have the least desire to lead that make the best leaders."_

_Chi Lin nodded. "That is something I too believe. 'It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves.' I take that to mean, that if there is a need for greatness, the person who is right for it will change his own destiny in order to fill that need."_

_Zuko looked over at him, but Chi Lin had rested his head on the back of the wagon's seat and closed his eyes, laying the reins on the seat beside him. Zuko picked them up, holding them in his hands as the wagon swayed back and forth._

_***Line break***Line break***Line break***_

It was dark by the time the wagons rolled into the village. The men dispersed, calling soft goodnights to each other as they made their way back to their homes and families. The bonfire was a pile of softly glowing embers in the middle of the circle of ironwoods. Firebugs sparked in the darkness between the trees, briefly illuminating plants and leaves.

Zuko could hear his Uncle's loud snoring and sighed. Hopefully the walls of his own tent would keep some of the din out. He slipped across the empty clearing and into his own tent. He stretched, feeling the soreness in his muscles and each abrasion on his body.

He whipped around as a small rustle came from his sleeping back. He had a sword in his hand in seconds before he recognized the sleeping figure, her dark hair tumbling across his sleeping mat. He relaxed, sheathing his sword. He didn't want to wake her. Maybe his Uncle had a spare sleeping bag in his tent. He cringed at the thought. After seven long years, he had hoped he could tune out his Uncle's noise. But it was impossible.

He had one hand on the flap when Katara stirred, sitting up in his sleeping bag.

"I always felt safe with you."

He paused, turning around.

"What?"

Katara took a deep breath and pushed her hair out of her face. "I'm sorry, your tent was closer." She gave him a crooked half smile. "It was a long day."

"Yeah." He crouched in front of her. "What did you mean?"

She looked down at her hands, twisting the edge of his sleeping bag. "I mean, even when you were chasing us across the world, and tied me to a tree, and stole my necklace, I knew," she looked up into his eyes, her own glinting in the moonlight. "I knew that you wouldn't really hurt us. Not really. You would never kill me, or Aang." She snorted. "Maybe Sokka if you knew him." Her face turned serious again. "I never feared you, Zuko. I hated you; for a long time, especially after Ba Sing Se. But…I don't hate you anymore."

"I never hated _you_." Zuko breathed. "I did fear you."

Katara smiled, a full smile, showing her teeth. "Really?"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Don't let it go to your head."

"Too late." Katara wiggled down into his sleeping bag. The sight made the muscles in Zuko's lower body clench. "Zuko?"

"Hmmm?" Zuko replied, wanting to lie down. His body was starting to ache.

"Will you stay with me?" At his blank look, she flushed. "I…I don't want to be alone. Anymore."

"Okay."

She held the side of the sleeping bag up to him, and he stood to shed his boots and tunic. Katara's eyes followed the lines of his muscles, traced the scars on his chest, watched as his arm muscles coiled and bunched beneath his skin. He was a powerful bender, capable of so much. He slid down into the warm comfort of the sleeping bag, facing her on his side, trying to be careful not to bump into her.

She lay with her hand under her head, the other on his pillow. He rested his head on his folded elbow, looking over at her tranquil face. She gazed back at him, eyes drinking in his face. A firebug lit suddenly between them, causing them both to jump. Katara laughed and Zuko couldn't help smiling in reply. Zuko lifted his hand to shoo the bug away and instead of retracting it, he lowered his rough, callused palm to her cheek, tracing the scar from her temple to the top of her lip. She closed her eyes at his touch, but instead of moving away pressed her face into his palm. His thumb brushed across her lower lip and his breath caught. So soft. Different from his. Distinctly female.

Her knee twitched, as if uncertain, before inching forward to entangle with his. His ankle caught around hers and held, binding them together. Zuko let his hand rest above her head, cradling her hair.

"I know you, Zuko." Her words were barely more than a whisper. "I trust you because…I've seen you at your worst and I know that it wasn't you. Anyone else, I don't…don't know what they want." She closed her eyes, nuzzling her head against his hand. He awkwardly stroked her hair, unsure if he should speak. "What they want from me. But you," She looked up at him. "I look in your eyes and see only you, Zuko."

"I don't know what that means." His voice was pitched low, hoarse.

"I don't either." She whispered back, inching herself closer. "But I like it."

He smiled. She closed her eyes and let her hand drift over until she traced his scar; a mirror action of his. He fell asleep to the feel of her hand on his face, the smell of her hair, and the soft press of her legs against his.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

The smell of roasting meat dragged him reluctantly from sleep just before dawn. He was warm. Very warm. Even for him. He tried to roll over, but the press of sleeping bodies on either side halted him. His heart skipped a beat as he looked down in the dim morning light to see Katara, her back pressed to his front, long waves of hair spread forward tumbling across his pillow. His arm lay on her waist, fingers trailing along her thigh. Her ankles were still intertwined with his, locking them close. He lay his head back down, aware that his other arm was numb under his head. She stirred against him, pressing backwards into him. He tightened his arm, tugging her closer. He didn't want the night to end. Not yet.

From his other side came a small, slight snore. He lifted his head enough to look over his shoulder. Kaya lay with her back to him, limbs jutting out at strange angles, wrapped up in a separate blanket all her own. Her small mouth lay open, lost in the total abandon of a child's sleep. He snorted quietly. No wonder he was over-warm. Kaya muttered in her sleep, kicking his leg just a little bit.

Zuko gently extricated himself from the sleeping bag, rolling Kaya over so she slept against her mother. She didn't so much as crack an eyelid. Katara's face creased softly in a frown as the cold air settled against her back, but she didn't wake. Zuko pulled the folds of the sleeping bag up until they were both covered to the shoulder.

Wood smoke drifted across the empty clearing, permeated with sunbeams from the dawning day. Romjak sat at the bonfire, roasting a hunk of meat over the sputtering embers. He looked up as Zuko emerged, a wry smile crossing his face. He gestured for Zuko to come closer.

"I hope you like pheasant squirrel," he said in a low voice. "Prince Zuko, of the Fire Nation."

*****Author's Note*****

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed my story! I love you all ^_^ I really appreciate that you took the time and I hope you continue to do so!

Both of the quotes used in this chapter (that Chi Lin said) are from Mister William Shakespeare.


	9. Chapter 9

_I've dealt with my ghosts_

_And I've faced all my demons_

_Finally content_

_With a past I regret._

_**-Rascal Flatts, Moving on**_

Romjak cheered inside at the look on the boy's face. Technically, he supposed, Zuko was rightfully a man. But boy sounded so much better in his head. He saw his muscles clench up, engaging the fight or flight instinct.

"Calm down, boy." He saw the offense in Zuko's eyes at the word and smirked. "I haven't told anyone."

The boy visibly calmed, but his body stayed ready. His eyes were narrowed, fists clenched. Romjak watched his feet slide instinctively into the beginnings of a fire bending stance and chuckled.

"Seriously." Romjak leaned forward to rotate the pheasant squirrel and Zuko's arms twitched. Oh the fun he would have with this one. "We have nothing against fire benders here, in case you hadn't noticed."

"I seem to remember carting dozens of bodies away just a few hours ago." Zuko said, his voice low and hoarse. Romjak wanted to offer him a flask of whiskey; that'd clear up anything.

"There's a difference, boy," He wanted to see how many times he could poke the platypus-bear before it roared. "between fire benders and the Fire Nation."

"What do you want from me?" Romjak frowned and the boy rolled his eyes. Almost. "I assume, since you're waiting outside my tent, that you want something. And don't want anyone else to see you ask for it."

Romjak chuckled, turning the spit. "Well you're not stupid."

"I do my best." Zuko folded himself on to the log bench across the fire from Romjak, eyeing him closely.

"Chi Lin mentioned you yesterday. Said you were the best sword fighter he's ever seen. And you're good with people, from what I've seen."

"I think you're the first person who has ever said that." Zuko's voice was hard. Romjak sensed bitterness in his tone and wondered briefly about the history there.

"You're a natural leader. Charismatic," Zuko's frown deepened. "if not cheerful." Romjak sighed. "I want to start teaching my people how to defend themselves, really defend themselves. They're fine with staves and axes, but not with the finer combat weapons. We don't have anyone who can do what you do. And you're a fire bender. You can teach basic forms, energy. Your Uncle has already agreed to teach the younger children."

"Of course he has." Zuko groaned. Most of the tension went out of the Prince at the mention of his Uncle.

"We thought you could start with the adults." Romjak cut a chunk from the smoking, cooked pheasant squirrel and plopped it on a plate, dousing it with gravy. He offered it to Zuko. The younger man hesitated, then took it with a murmur of thanks. "My daughter has also agreed to help. I think she's tired of 'playing house' as my second in command." He looked Zuko in the eyes. "She's ready to stop hiding. Do something important."

"I see." Zuko took a bite of the pheasant squirrel.

Romjak watched the Prince eat. There was no false humility, no duplicity, no arrogance he could detect in the Prince's manner. If he was honest with himself, he wished there was. It would make everything the stark black and white that was so much easier to deal with than the gray areas that made up his village. He wished all fire nation people could be the bad guys. He wished the world was easy like that. But it wasn't. Here he was, talking to the spawn of the monster responsible for all the hurt in the world. He should be killing him. Torturing him. But this…boy was not at fault. He had split from his father, like some of the world remembered. The rest of the world had forgotten about the missing Prince of the Fire Nation. Forgotten he ever existed. Everyone except his daughter.

"When do you want to start this…training?" Zuko asked around a mouthful of meat.

"I thought Princes were supposed to have good manners." Poke the platypus-bear, poke the platypus-bear.

"It's been a long time since I was a Prince." Zuko said. Romjak looked for a hint of regret, longing, something. But there was only truth.

"Chi Lin wants to start this week." Romjak said, standing. "If you're in, you can meet us near Moswren's tent this afternoon."

"I'll consider it." Zuko said, reaching to help himself to more pheasant squirrel.

"I'd leave some of that." Romjak said, turning to leave. "It's Chizu's favorite."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Zuko stared after the headman's retreating back, wide eyed. He knew Katara had spent the night in his tent? And that was all the admonishment he offered? He chewed the stringy pheasant squirrel thoughtfully. His Uncle had been right that his feet were restless, as was his spirit. It felt suicidal to stay in one spot for too long, even if that one spot was a hideout of resistance. He didn't know if anyone here, upon realizing his identity, would turn him in for a quick reward. His Uncle was in danger as well. More people remembered the Dragon of the West than the disgraced Prince.

"It's not my favorite."

Zuko looked around to see Katara emerge from his tent, her thick hair held over her shoulder. She was braiding it, winding it into a style he remembered from years past. The hair loopies were gone; he supposed they were too distinctly water tribe. It hit him suddenly, that he and his Uncle weren't the only ones in danger by standing still: Katara, the last free water bender, would be struck down on sight if she was found.

She sat next to him on the log, just barely not touching him. She tied her hair off in a thick knot and tossed it behind her shoulder. "My favorite is smoked sea slug."

"That's a Fire Nation dish."

"I know." Katara said, cutting her own chunk of pheasant squirrel off and holding it in her hands, picking pieces off and popping them in her mouth. "I like the spices. A lot more flavorful than anything in the South Pole or Earth Kingdom." She looked over at him. "What's your favorite?"

Zuko swallowed a large mouthful, thinking. "When we were travelling through this one province in the Southern Earth Kingdom, I ordered roast duck at a roadside stand. I thought it would be like how they make it in the Fire nation, but it was different. Sweet and spicy at the same time." He shrugged. "I've never been able to find the stand again." He slid a glance sideways at her. "Best duck in the world."

She smiled at him. "Thanks for letting me stay in your tent." Her leg moved just the slightest bit, bringing their hips into contact. Zuko sat rigid for a moment before edging in to the touch. For spirit's sake, he had slept with his arm around her. Now he was flinching because their legs touched? He guessed it was different in the daylight. Night shrouded ideas and actions in a cool blanket of darkness where things could be forgotten if chosen. "It was such a long day…yours was closer…"

"No problem." His voice came out huskier than he liked and he cleared his throat. "It was…nice. Sleeping next to you." He prayed to any spirits that were listening that his face wasn't red.

"Nice?" Katara had a smirk on her face, but her eyes were wide.

"Yeah. It was nice."

"Well…we'll have to…do it again." Katara gave him a small, shy smile from under her lashes. Zuko felt his ears turn pink.

"I'd like that."

She looked up at him, suddenly worried. "Zuko, I don't…" She took a deep, wavering breath. "I don't know…how far…what you're expecting….but-"

"Mom!"

They both jumped as a bleary eyed Kaya joined them, rubbing a small hand across her curls. Zuko looked around to see people emerging from tents, heard shouts and calls across the camp. The sun had risen.

Katara pulled Kaya into her lap, her shoulder bumping against Zuko's. He scooted over so Kaya could clamber from her mother's lap to sit between them. She eyed him grumpily.

"You snore."

"I do not." Zuko glared at her. "My Uncle does."

"Humph." Kaya leaned against her mother, picking a piece of pheasant squirrel from her plate. "It was loud."

"Tell me about it." Zuko smirked. "I've had to listen to his snore for seven years."

"That's awful." Kaya mumbled, looking up at him.

"Yeah."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

The night had fallen too quickly. Zuko again sat around the fire, mug of hot klah in his hand. The sun was still setting behind the trees, setting a red orange glow to burn behind them. Firebugs zipped around him on their nightly quest for love. He envied their simplicity.

Zuko had finished his day's work at Moswren's tent and was cooling off outside when Romjak had stridden up, followed by a small group of men. They varied in age, height, and origin to the point Zuko couldn't even guess where they were from. He had introduced them to Zuko as his fellow 'masters', leaders of the village. Many of them bore scars, ranging from insignificant to visibly disfiguring. Their names had blurred together, a mishmash of sounds that were all vaguely foreign. Zuko had spent all afternoon with them, talking, planning, feeling their eyes sizing him up, examining him in more ways than one. He suspected Romjak had disclosed Katara's latest sleeping space and they were seeing if he was worthy. As he sat with them around the fire in the darkening forest, he tried to put faces together with the half-remembered names.

Romjak sat directly across the fire from him, Chi Lin at his side. Chi Lin had stayed close to Zuko during the afternoon, dispelling tension as best he could. He said almost less than Zuko did and with more aggravation. He really was short on patience.

Beside him sat Kamol, whose mother was half earth kingdom and half fire nation. His father had been a Fire Sage on Ember Island years ago, before meeting his mother. He was a tall thin man two years older than Zuko himself with a shock of dark hair and sea foam green eyes. Romjak had introduced him as a master archer; Zuko felt that he could have guessed. The bow and quiver of arrows was a giveaway. He had been friendly, joking and laughing with the others. But his eyes constantly roved to Zuko's scar and lingered. He joked and laughed with Bao the healer, sitting next to him.

To his side was Akiak, the only other member of the water tribes besides Katara that Zuko had seen in years. His hair was tied back in the wolf-tail he had seen on Katara's brother, complete with shaved sides. He was more serious, but not as bad as Chi Lin. His face cracked into a grin at Kamol's jokes, stretching the long scars on the side of his face that continued down to peek out from under his tunic. Zuko thought it looked like he had been raked by a Komodo rhino's claws. He was a master of staves, and had already been instructing the villagers for years in their use. His blue eyes danced with the flames. He was older, almost ten years younger than Iroh. He had married a Fire Nation woman three years ago and had gotten his scars escaping the capital. They lived in the village with their two daughters, aged two and six months.

Moswren sat between Akiak and Katara. Zuko was surprised that Katara wasn't closer with Akiak, but she seemed distant from him. They had nodded at each other and passed by, careful not to sit next to each other. Katara had chosen the seat next to Zuko and had smiled at him as she sat down. He had smiled back, but he could tell that it looked forced. He had looked away quickly, taking a sip of the klah as an excuse. Katara was there not only as Romjak's daughter, but as a skillful knife wielder and healer. She was Romjak's official right hand, with Chi Lin as his left. He wondered again what had taken her bending, and whether it was physical or psychological. Iroh sat on his other side, starting to nod off.

"So," Romjak's voice was low, thoughtful. "Where do we go from here?"

Zuko lifted his head. He looked around to see the others had done the same. They all looked to Romjak, waiting for him to continue.

"This is not the first time we have been found." Chi Lin said. "It is closer to the twentieth. The village is getting too big; too many patrols have vanished from near here."

"What do you want us to do?" Kamol asked, a wry smile on his face. "Pick up and move four hundred people?"

"Yes." Romjak answered. "But where?"

"It will not be easy." Iroh said. Zuko noticed that the other members in the circle nodded along with him. His Uncle amassed respect almost effortlessly. "There will be evidence of such a move. An easy trail to follow."

"Not to mention there aren't many safe places left." Akiak said, gazing into the fire. "Unless you want to return to the South Pole; it lies abandoned."

"Too hard to get there." Katara's voice was sharp. "We'd have to buy or charter boats. It'd be impossible to do so unnoticed."

"Not if we do it a little at a time." Akiak shot back. "It would take longer but-"

"The South Pole hasn't supported more than a hundred people at a time for years." Katara snapped. "And we have no water benders to build homes."

Akiak glowered and didn't answer. He wants to go home, Zuko realized. Or at least as close to home as he can get.

"We could move deeper into the forest." Bao suggested. "Start building homes now, move there within the year."

"It'd be winter by the time we moved." Kamol said. "We'd leave tracks in the snow, fires in the woods. And if we move too much deeper, no one will be able to find us."

"Isn't that the point?" Moswren grumbled.

"If we're going to be a haven for refugees, they have to be able to find us." Kamol said, smiling with half his face. "Otherwise we don't have much point."

"The northern Earth Kingdom has small pockets of freedom." Bao said. "We could try there, and it's not too far away."

Romjak's fist slammed down on the log he sat on. Everyone fell silent and looked to him. "These are all bandages that don't treat the larger wound." He said, eyes downcast under furrowed brows. "We need to do something about the Fire Nation."

"All by ourselves?" Kamol joked. "Sounds perfect."

"We have allies." Romjak growled. "If we start organizing we could make a difference."

"Nothing will change until the Phoenix King and his spawn are dead or overthrown." Akiak spat.

"We'd need a rightful successor to the throne to step forward." Bao pointed out. Beside him, Katara squirmed. "But there're no heirs."

"The Dragon of the West." Romjak rumbled. Zuko noticed he was careful to keep his eyes away from Iroh.

"That would not work." His Uncle said. All eyes turned to him. "History would see it as more senseless violence: a brother killing a brother for power. The only way to reunite the world and install a new Fire Lord would be for the Avatar to return and set everything the way it should be."

"The Avatar has been missing for years." Akiak sighed. He rubbed his palms over his face. "Our women are imprisoned and watched. All of their children are tested." Katara shifted her thigh so it pressed against Zuko. He leaned back, bumping her shoulder with his. She leaned into him, letting out a long, quiet sigh.

"He had been gone for a hundred years," Iroh reminded them. "but he returned."

"What about Prince Zuko?" Moswren said. "He's the rightful heir, not that fucking bitch Azula." He spat her name.

"No one remembers the missing Prince." Kamol sighed. "He's been gone for years. No one has seen him; there aren't even any wanted posters of him anymore."

"I remember him."

All heads turned at Katara's soft admission. She inched slightly away from Zuko. "When…when I travelled with the Avatar," Zuko noted their expressions: who knew and who didn't. Romjak and Moswren were not surprised, the others were. His Uncle had a very convincing shocked look. Zuko knew it well from his childhood. He left his own face impassive. Let them think what they wanted. "We…sort of knew him. He wasn't cruel or vicious like his sister. He was determined, creative, resourceful. His crew loved him. They did anything for him, even though he was in exile." Zuko looked at his feet. This wasn't what he expected. He could practically feel Iroh glowing beside him. "He never gave up. He was my enemy. But I respected him." Katara raised her chin. "He _should_ be Fire Lord. He'd be a force to rally behind, the _rightful_ heir, a leader for a better time."

Most were silent. He could see Kamol smiling ruefully at the fire.

"How can we find him?" Romjak said. Now he was looking at Zuko. He glared back.

"I don't know." Katara said. "Maybe he doesn't want to be found."

"Not everyone in the Fire Nation wants war." Chi Lin said quietly. "He would have a lot of support around the world."

"Not yet." Zuko's gravelly voice startled all of them. "There's still too much hate, in all countries. If the missing prince were to show up right now, some would try to kill him while others would sell him to Azula." He looked Romjak in the eyes. "There would be a lot to do."

"The best time is now." Romjak shot back.

"We should concentrate on securing your village before we worry too much about the future." Iroh said. Zuko blew steam from his nose. "I believe the best path for now would to be increase sentries farther into the woods in all directions."

"We'll start there." Romjak stood, Moswren and Bao close behind him. "I'd like to start training this week." He looked around at all of them, acknowledging their nods of assent. "See you all in the morning."

Kamol smiled and stood too, stretching his long frame as he walked away. Kamol nodded to Katara and left, walking towards a tent towards the back of the clearing.

"Where is your charming daughter?" Iroh asked Katara kindly. "She has been teaching myself and my students which mushrooms are safe to eat. She is very knowledgeable for a child her age."

Katara smiled. Zuko felt her relax beside him. "She's asleep. She was up early this morning."

"I see." Iroh nodded to her and Zuko and stood. "I believe I will follow her example." He faced Zuko. "I am excited to watch you tomorrow, nephew. I am sure you will do well."

"Thanks, Uncle."

Katara and Zuko watched the older man stride into the darkness to his tent.

"I really hope he sleeps on his side tonight." Katara joked.

Zuko snorted. "I doubt it." He turned his head to look at her. "Thanks. For what you said earlier. I…didn't know you felt that way."

"I decided to leave out all the other stuff." Katara smiled at him, leaning her forehead against his shoulder. "Arrogant, rude, irrational, obsessive…" She grinned up at him as he frowned. "The good outweighs the bad, Zuko."

"I'm glad you think so." He pressed his forehead to hers. "No one else does."

"Your Uncle does."

"He doesn't count. He told me _Azula_ had good intentions when she threw stones at the turtleducks to 'make them stronger.'"

She snorted. "Maybe she did?"

"Maybe she did." He echoed softly. She hadn't. But his Uncle saw the good in everyone. He wondered if he tried extra hard for him.

Her hand slid on top of his and she wound their fingers together. He glanced over at her, watching the fire dance in her blue eyes. She really was pretty, he thought. Her wild hair was contained by a blue kerchief that matched her eyes. His eyes trailed down her face to rest in the hollow of her neck. He frowned.

"Where's your necklace?" Her eyes fell. Her fingers loosened in his and he was worried he'd said something horrible. "I'm sorry. You don't have to-"

"It's okay." She smiled up at him, though her eyes were sad. "I lost it. When I was captured seven years ago. I don't know where it is." Her eyes turned hard. "It was too water tribe anyway. My eyes are bad enough."

"Your eyes are beautiful." Zuko said, cupping her cheek with his hand. "Don't ever doubt that."

"Your eyes are beautiful too, Zuko." She traced a finger across his cheekbone where the flesh lay ruined. "I've never seen a shade of gold to match yours. Not even your Uncle's is the same."

"My mother's eyes." He murmured, his hand still on her cheek. He felt his heart speed up and wondered if she felt it through his scar. He felt a strong urge to pull her closer, against him, wrap her up in his arms and never let go of this one person who had seen his worst and still thought the best of him. The one person beside his Uncle that gave him _that_ look. But he was, if nothing else, a man of honor.

"Zuko…" She was giving him _that_ look. He didn't know when she had started doing that, but he liked it. "I'm going to bed…" His heart fell. He let her hand go, getting ready to say goodnight, stand and walk to his own bedroll. Alone. "…are you coming?"

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

**A.N. I love all the reviews! Thank you all so much! Adult stuff next chapter, so you're warned…**


	10. Chapter 10

_I've looked at love, from both sides now_

_From give and take, and still somehow_

_Its love's illusions I recall_

_I really don't know love at all._

_ -__**Joni Mitchell, 'Both Sides Now'**_

"Are you coming?" She was looking up at him with big blue eyes, flicking them between his own. He felt a hot surge from his chest to his belly. He cleared his throat.

"Are you sure?" His voice was husky, low and gravelly. Her face blushed pink. She nodded. "Okay."

He allowed her to lead him to his own tent, his hand clasped tightly around hers. She pushed aside the flap and he hesitated for a step before following her inside. His bedroll was still messy from that morning and he felt a sudden embarrassment. She didn't seem to notice as she lay down and pulled the wrap over her.

"What about Kaya?" Zuko said, sitting down next to her.

"She's staying with a friend tonight." Katara gave him a little smile. "She knew where to find me this morning. She will again."

"Katara, I don't -"

"Zuko," she interrupted him with a hand on his knee. Goosebumps raised along him at the touch. "Kaya…wasn't my choice." She watched his face carefully as what she said sunk in. He leaned back from her, frowning. Hatred for the faceless, unknown father tore through him and his hands balled into fists. He heard her sit up to face him, sitting cross-legged like he was, her knees touching his. She took his hands in hers and rubbed her thumbs across their backs. "I love her. She's…a part of me. But sometimes I look at her and see her father and…I'm back there." She raised her eyes to his face but he was looking resolutely away from her. He wondered if he had caused the same flashbacks when he arrived and felt a surge of guilt. He captured her hands with his and looked down at them, palms up. He could feel the stiffness in her fingers, the raised scars on her skin. He wondered if the same person had caused them. "I haven't been able to get close to anyone since." He knew the feeling. "And I don't know at all how you feel, or what you think about me, but I…think I can trust you." He met her eyes then. He was glad she wasn't crying. But Katara didn't seem to be that type. Not anymore, anyway. "And I like sleeping next to you."

"I like you." Zuko said, before she could continue. "I like sleeping next to you. I like…touching your hands and being close to you. But if you're not ready, I don't want to do anything that wouldn't make you happy. And if you can't ever really forgive me, or trust me, then I don't think-"

"You really think too much, Zuko." She smiled at him. "If you do something I don't like, I promise I'll tell you."

He frowned. "You've only known me a month, really."

"Right now," she cupped his cheek, turning his face to hers. "I just want to sleep next to you. Feel…close to someone who I _can_ trust won't try to kill me or hurt me or rape me." He glared at the last one. "But also someone who needs me too."

"I don't need you." Zuko murmured. As he said it he knew it wasn't true. He did need her. He needed her trust and her warmth and her kindness as much as he needed the sun to rise. He needed her to believe in him, like she what she had said around the fire, or he might stop believing in himself. "But…I want you."

"I want you, too." Katara scooted forward so she was sitting in his lap. She tucked her head under his chin and he wound his arms around her. He liked the feel of her body against his, her arm around his neck, her fingers curled into his hair. He bent his arm to bring his hand to her face, tilting her chin up. Her lips brushed against his, a cool whisper against his skin. Her eyes were closed, his were open. He saw the small frown flutter across her face and pulled away. The hand in his hair pulled him back, pressing their mouths harder together.

"I'll tell you." She breathed against him, shifting so both her arms lay across his shoulders as she deepened the kiss, smushing her nose into his cheek.

"I don't want you to have to." He gasped, hands going to her hips. Her kisses were making him dizzy. He slid his hands from her hips to her lower back, pressing her into him as he shifted them so they lay on their sides, facing each other. Her ankles hooked around his, entangling their legs. Her fingers grasped the back of his tunic and pulled. When her grip faltered, he pulled it all the way off, exposing his arms and undershirt. Katara huffed in annoyance at her hands and gestured at him to remove the undershirt. He laughed at her expression and she smiled. He pulled his shirt off, tossing it across her to the other side of the tent. Her hands ran up and down his pale, muscled chest as he removed the kerchief from her hair, setting her wild curls loose.

Zuko shifted them so Katara lay on her back with him still on his side leaning over her. He heard her gasp and froze.

"You okay?"

"Yes." She panted, pulling his head down to hers. Her tongue opened his lips, pressing gently against his. He cupped the back of her head, thrusting his tongue against hers, claiming her mouth. He felt the moan in her throat before he heard it. Her tongue rose to dance with his, unconquerable.

He ran his hand up and down her arm, pushing at the short sleeve of her green tunic. He wanted to pull it from her but couldn't. Not until she was ready. Her mouth lowered from his to dab kisses on his neck and he groaned. That had always been his weak point. He felt her lips curl up in a smile against his skin and she moved up to kiss against his ear. Spikes of light flitted through his veins at the touch. His knee came down between her legs as he moved over her, giving her better access to his neck. He could feel himself hardening and hoped she didn't notice. But she would, eventually. A thrill shot through his stomach as her knee brushed against his length and he gasped.

She stopped kissing his neck and dragged his head back to lock her mouth against his. She bit his lip and he moaned, lowering his body onto hers so he rested on his elbows, one on each side of her head. Slowly, hesitantly, he let his lower body rest on hers and was surprised to feel her hips buck up to meet his. Her head lifted to suck on the space between his neck and his shoulder. He mirrored the movement, nibbling on her collarbone. He was rewarded with her gasp.

He ran his hand through her hair, gripping it to tug her head back. He rained kisses on her throat, feeling her breath come rough from her lips. Moving lower, he pushed the neck of her tunic aside so he could mouth her sternum, encouraged by the murmurs she breathed in his ear. He knew what he wanted to do with his hands, but he didn't know if it would be okay. He was entirely hard.

Katara shrugged out of her tunic, tugging on the ties and tossing it behind her. He lifted his mouth from her chest to check her face. She was panting, mouth open, looking at him with wide eyes. She smiled and touched his face with soft fingertips.

"It's okay." She gasped out. "Please." She raised her arms above her head, straining her chest toward him. He could see a glimmer of fear and doubt in her eyes but all doubt and sense fled him as she rubbed her breasts against his chest. The feeling of the contact sent shocks through him, straight to his straining length.

Zuko nodded, feeling himself pant. A bow in the front of her chest bindings unraveled them when he pulled. They fell to the side, exposing her breasts. They were the same dusky mocha brown as the rest of her skin with dark, hard nipples standing at attention. Maturity had made them full, parenthood had made them round. He dipped his head to nuzzle one with his nose, enjoying the feel of her shuddering under him. He slipped one hand under her naked back and lifted her to him, their naked chests smooth against each other. He bent his neck so he could take one dark nipple in his mouth, running his tongue over the hard nub. She grabbed onto his torso and gasped, feeling his sucks and thrusts as his cock demanded release. He nudged at her through their clothes, desperate for contact. She dropped back from him to tug on his pants, her breast popping free, pushing them past his hips. His cock sprang free, ready.

"Are you sure?" Zuko moaned as her hands slid down his hips to his thighs, deliberately not touching.

"Yes." She gasped back, kissing his throat. "Stop asking." She gave a particularly hard suck and Zuko knew there'd be a bruise in the morning. "But thanks."

Zuko nodded against her touch. He lowered his hands to remove her pants and leggings, feeling her feet kick them off. She started breathing harder, panting against his skin. He captured her mouth with his as he gently palmed her breast, reveling in the feeling of the hard pebble of her nipple against his flesh. His hand traced down her body to cup her hip, then her thigh, bringing her knee up. Katara's tongue battled fiercely with his as he hovered over her, his cock eager.

She bucked her hips up to meet his, pressing her core against him. He felt the dampness between her legs with a gentle finger, dipping it shallowly into her opening. She gave a breathy moan against his mouth as he pushed the tip of two fingers inside, parting her walls, preparing her for his entrance. He felt her clench, strong around him. She was slick: as excited as he was. She bit his lip and he pushed his fingers in to the knuckle, curling them against her inner walls. He added the smallest bit of heat to his finger pads, smiling against her lips as he heard her gasp. Her fingernails drew lines on his back as he pumped his fingers into her.

He pulled out, wiping moist fingers discretely on his bedroll. He dipped his head to suck on her throat as he positioned himself, nudging the tip of his cock against her entrance.

"Wait." She gasped out. He froze. She dropped her head from his neck to look him in the face. Her flushed face and half lidded eyes only added to his excitement. "Don't…don't finish inside me."

"Okay." Zuko said, watching her face. She smiled and nodded, biting her lip. That did it. Zuko slowly moved into her, giving her time to adjust to his length and breadth. He wasn't small. He felt her angling her hips, shifting against him. He pushed in until he was fully sheathed in her, her warmth enclosing him. He moved to pull back and she stopped him, holding on to his shoulders.

"It feels good." She panted, eyes closed. "So good." He felt her muscles tighten around him, feeling him inside her. "Okay." She gasped and nudged her hips against his.

He pulled out slowly, enjoying the tightness inside her. She was so wet. So wet. When just his tip was left inside her, he pushed back in. Faster. She moaned, arching her spine towards him.

He began a steady rhythm, in out, in out. He went faster, harder, nearly slamming into her. He could feel himself getting close; it had been a long time since he had laid with a woman. She was moaning and writhing beneath him, her hands gripping his wrists, trying to match his thrusts with her own. It was speeding his towards his finish but she wasn't there yet. Remembering something his Uncle said (in a conversation that lay repressed deep, deep in his mind) about a special place on a woman. He warmed the pad of his thumb and pressed it against the small nub above his thrusting cock. He patted it gently, and was rewarded with a near shriek. He grinned, going harder, leaning down to bite the junction of her neck and shoulder. She gasped and stilled, her body jerking as she came around him.

He slowed to steady, long thrusts, drawing out her pleasure. She moaned and he could feel the extra wetness from her climax and he shuddered. When she jerked her hips against him, encouraging movement, he began thrusting into her, moaning as she leaned up to suck on his throat. Her hands ran up and down his chest, reaching up to curl in his hair, trail along his back.

Closer. Closer. _Close_. He pulled out of her, pumped his cock for few strokes, and came onto her stomach in short bursts. He stayed panting above her for a breath before collapsing on his side next to her. He heard her breathing calm, the rustling of cloth as she wiped herself off.

"Sorry."

She smiled and turned on her side to face him. "It's fine." She reached over to the pile of their clothes and lifted out her tunic and pants, forgoing her bindings and leggings. He watched as her body disappeared under them and felt a little disappointed. He'd have liked to wake up to her bare form.

"Do you want your shirt?" she asked him, still sitting.

He shook his head. "I'll take my pants, though." She handed them to him and he tugged them on. He noticed her eyes crawling up his body and smirked. "See something you like?"

She flushed and looked away. He scooted over and wrapped his arms around her sitting waist, kissing the small of her back. She stroked his hip, left naked above the hem of his pants. "Now what?" she whispered.

"I don't know." He murmured against her skin. "What do you want to happen?"

"You become Fire Lord." She stretched out next him, their noses almost touching. "We fix the world. Everyone goes home."

"We better start soon." Zuko said, stroking her cheek with two gentle fingers. "Before we all forget what home looks like."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

For the first time in a very long time, Zuko slept through the sunrise. His eyes opened as it crested above the hills. He could see its light through the tent walls, illuminating the body sleeping next to him. Katara slept on her stomach, shirt pushed up by his hand, exposing her back. His knee lay comfortably across her legs, his face on her shoulder. He could see a bruise from his bite peeking through her tunic and smirked. He knew there was a much more visible one on his neck. Serves her right. Her breathing was even and deep, not ready to be woken.

He rolled over and stretched, feeling muscles that hadn't been sore in a long time. He lay still for a few heartbeats, listening to Katara's soothing breaths before rising and pulling a new shirt from his meager supply. He kneeled down, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead before striding out of the tent.

His Uncle sat on the circle of logs across from his tent, staring into the embers from the previous night. He stood as Zuko approached.

"Uncle, what's wrong?"

"We need to talk, nephew." His Uncle's voice was serious. "Let us go into the woods."

Zuko followed as Iroh walked half a mile along a trail only he could see. They reached a large fallen tree trunk covered with moss and mushrooms and his Uncle stopped, sitting on the fallen giant. Zuko stood in front of him, arms crossed, feeling the sun on the back of his neck. His Uncle peered up at him, and frowned at the bruise on the base of Zuko's neck.

"Would you care to explain, nephew?"

"Not really, Uncle."

His Uncle sighed. "I understand the temptation of easy women, Zuko, but you should know-"

"Uncle!" Zuko cried. "I was with Katara." Iroh's eyebrows shot up. "We…slept next to each other two nights ago and we both liked it, so…" He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, humiliated. "She wanted it, too. It was…her idea."

Iroh's gaze pierced him, stripped him down, turned him inside out, and set him back again. "Do you love her, Zuko?"

"I think I'm beginning to." The quiet admission surprised them both.

"My only advice is to tread lightly." Iroh said after a moment. "As the saying goes, 'the course of love never did run smooth.'" His face split into a grin. "But I also want you to know that you have my full approval!"

Zuko sighed and nodded. "Thanks, Uncle. Is this all you wanted to talk about?"

"No." Iroh's face fell and his voice deepened in seriousness. "A lot was said last night around the fire. I know that Romjak knows our true identities, and that Miss Katara does as well. However, we must now decide if the time has come to reveal ourselves."

"What are your thoughts?"

"I think we should continue to wait, build reputations and trust among these people. Show them that we are not your father."

"Wouldn't that make the deception so much worse when we tell them?" Zuko began pacing. He wasn't particularly inclined to tell everyone, especially after the conversation around the fire. It already felt like lying, but they had been telling the same lie for many years.

"Yes, but perhaps we could begin circulating rumors of our true identities. It would put the idea in their heads and would allow us to gage the opinion of the people." Iroh mused. "Your new duties as instructor will help you to get to know the people. It can only help."

"I don't think rumors will help." Zuko said. "I think we should tell them all together, sooner rather than later."

"They could kill us as Fire Nation spies." Iroh pointed out.

"Romjak seemed on our side." Zuko countered. "So did most of the other instructors."

"That will not stop an assassin while we are sleeping." Iroh said, cocking an eyebrow at his nephew.

"So we let them get to know us, and you think that all that changes about us when we tell them is our names?" Zuko cried. "Our entire significance in this war will change!"

"You know this is the way, nephew." Iroh's face was dark. "You must overthrow your sister and claim your birthright."

"I know." Zuko's tone was quiet. "And soon." He looked at the sky. "Can you feel it?"

Iroh sighed. "Yes. I have for a while. Have you been sleeping through the sunrise?"

"No." Zuko blushed. "Though I attributed it to…other things."

His Uncle chuckled. "We could use this to our advantage."

"Not _our_ advantage, Uncle." Zuko looked at the sky. "The world's. You and I won't have our bending."

"You are correct, Zuko." Iroh stood, sighing at the creak in his joints. "This summer, during the Long Eclipse, the world will have an advantage over the Phoenix King and the Fire Lord. Our attack should have already begun by then."

"Time to stop hiding, Uncle." Zuko blew a plume of flames to the sky. "Time to begin."

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

**A.N.** Woo! First sex scene ever xD Hope you guys liked it…but not too much! lol As always, thank you for the reviews. Please feel free to offer critiques on style/etc. as well


	11. Chapter 11

**A.N.** I got a review from a guest that showed up in my email, not on my profile. Not sure why…but the reader asked why Kaya inspired flashbacks in Katara but Zuko didn't. In my mind, Zuko has always been separate from Ozai to Katara, because she had never feared him, but she always feared Ozai. Kaya, on the other hand, is a direct result of her interactions with Ozai, and the only reason she exists is because of him and what he did to her. I think Zuko's scar also helps him from looking too much like Ozai. Haven't gotten many more questions that wouldn't be spoilers if answered, but if there are any more, I'll do my best!

*****Line break***Line break***Line break***Line break***Line break*****

_He must have really hurt you__  
__To make you say the things that you do__  
__He must have really hurt you__  
__To make those pretty eyes look so blue_

_**-George Michael, 'Heal the Pain'**_

"Again!" Zuko barked.

His command was met with hushed groans and the sound of swishing bokkens. Zuko walked among his students, correcting a stance, adjusting an elbow, nudging a foot. They were improving, his students. He noticed them practicing outside of their training sessions and felt a glow of pride. They wanted to get better, to be able to fight.

Almost twenty of them stood in the small clearing near the outside of the village. They ranged in age from sixteen to upwards of thirty. The camp rotated trainees between weapons trainings amid their normal chores: one day swords, the next day archery, the next day axes, then swords again. It aggravated Zuko, though he knew that's how he himself had learned. For him the dao swords had called to him and he had learned them quickly, using them as extensions of his own body. He could see the same fervor on the faces of the men and women who came to him daily instead of experimenting with the other weapons. Either with one sword or the twin blades, they practiced under his tutelage as often as their tasks allowed them, regarding their blades as Zuko did: as an extension of themselves.

"Again!"

Zuko turned, sensing Katara's approach. She slid into the space beside him, twining their fingers together. Zuko felt the usual electric spark as she touched him; the familiar feeling of contact growing into a sense of completion. He wasn't whole without her beside him. Two blades fitting together to form one even more powerful sword. "They're doing well, your turtleducklings." She teased.

Zuko groaned, shaking off his thoughts. The nickname had sprung up at the habit his students had of following him around camp at mealtimes. "They're not turtleducks." He said to her, his voice raspy as only she could make it. "They're dragons."

"Well, your _dragonlings_ are doing well then." She squeezed his hand in reply. He looked down at her with a frown. "What's wrong?"

She didn't have to ask how he knew. "They're doing the bending training by the healer's tent." She looked away. "It was too noisy to concentrate."

He looked over his head to see his students watching, their forms slacking.

"I didn't say stop!" He roared. They jumped and fixed their eyes forward, bokkens swishing back into form. He looked down at her again, seeing her eyes cast downwards. He knew she needed distraction, not comfort. "You're really short."

Her eyes flashed up at him. "I am not!"

"Like a little cavehopper." His smile cracked as she released his hand to slap his chest, advancing on him.

"_Cavehopper_? I'll show you cavehopper, you, you sea slug!" She rained soft blows on his chest, fighting back a smile of her own.

The student warriors watched as their stern commander allowed himself to be bludgeoned by the thin woman in blue and struggled to keep their eyes forward and stances steady. Several of them couldn't help their smiles as she pushed him backwards and strode off in a huff. They saw his eyes follow her, though he turned back to them.

"Again!"

He found her by the river after he had sent his soldiers off for the day. Several had stayed to talk with him and he had shrugged them off quickly, feeling a nagging tug towards Katara. He had given them drills and tips enough to keep them busy and they hadn't followed him.

The river was over a mile from the village, due East. Bao had said she had taken several women and a guard with her to fill water skins for the camp. Zuko had followed the subtley marked trail through the woods, comforted by the weight of his swords on his back. Just because no one had spotted a Fire Nation soldier or a tigerdillo didn't mean they weren't around.

The guard had nodded him in Katara's direction from where he stood on the bank near where the rest of the women were crouched by the water, his long spear in his hand, eyes roving constantly at every small flick of movement. Katara stood a little ways upstream from them by herself, staring at the water swirling past her legs, over her feet, through her toes. Zuko could feel the chill from the icy mountain water from three feet away, how could she not be freezing?

"Water tribe people are crazy."

She turned at his voice with a shallow smile. "I grew up in a world of ice and snow." She turned back to the water. The river was wide and slow, dragging with reeds and smooth stones on its bottom. Foliage completely covered its banks, tree roots dug into its sandy shores and creeping ferns trailed their fronds along its surface. It was an alive river; a far cry from the icy wasteland of the South Pole. "It reminds me of home."

"You waded into the ocean in the middle of blizzards, too?" Zuko grimaced, crouching down to lean his back against a gnarled tree trunk. "Definitely crazy."

She glared daggers at him. He shrugged and closed his eyes, reclining his head. Fat drops of frosty water splattered across his front and he sat up with a snarl. Katara giggled, flicking another handful of water at him. As he stood up he wondered absently when the last time she tried to bend was. He dropped his swords by the tree and waded in after her, hissing at the water's touch. Katara splashed away from him still giggling.

"Stay away from me!"

He advanced on her, ready to dunk her under the water so he could warm her back up. Before he could, she tripped on a rock and landed on her rear end in the water, her mouth an 'O' of surprise. He laughed, pushing through the slow current to help her up. He caught her elbows and tugged, but she slipped limply through his grasp so sink into the water again. He looked down to make sure she was alright and not injured and was met with her wide smile and dancing eyes. He growled, hauling on her hands and stopped at her small noise. She grimaced and wiggled her hands; he dropped his grip to her forearms and lifted her up.

"They're sore today." She murmured, opening and closing her fingers.

"Can't you heal yourself?" The words slipped unthinkingly from his lips and her face darkened.

"Don't you think I've tried that?" She hissed, trying to jerk out of his grip. Zuko didn't let her. He ran his own fingers over hers, feeling the raised burn scars. "What are you doing?"

"My Uncle told me that water is life." He wound his fingers with hers, bringing their joined fists up before their eyes. He watched her around them; she eyed him warily. "All of us would die without it." He tightened his grip, keeping his good eye on her face. "But I also believe that if water is life, fire sustains life. Our lives. We all have water and fire within us: one flows in our blood, the other keeps us warm." He called to his own inner fire, drawing it up to his fingers. A steady heat pumped from him into her. "Firebenders have a hotter body temperature than other nations because our fire burns hotter." He looked her in the eye. "I want you to try again."

"What?" She eyed him incredulously. "Zuko, I've tried so many times, nothing-"

"Please." He could feel the muscles in her fingers relaxing from the heat in his hands. Felt the blood beating in her veins. He knew this was right. He knew the life from his fire would help. "Please, Katara."

She eyed him suspiciously, but crouched down with him into the icy water. His heat kept her fingers warm in the cold, even under the water. Zuko gritted his teeth against the chill, but Katara's face was serene as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Nothing happened. She cracked an eyelid to glare at him, and he nodded at her to try again. He marginally increased the heat, holding both her graceful hands between his larger ones, encasing them in a warm pocket. Heat hurt her; heat would save her. Katara sighed and scrunched her face in concentration.

It began slowly. A faint blue tinge to the water. A transparent glow. But it grew. Stronger and stronger. The blue light encompassed both their hands; Zuko felt his calluses melt away as he pulled back. Katara cracked an eyelid and gasped, almost pulling her hands from the water. Zuko plunged them back down and the blue crept up her arms to fix the creeping scars. They faded away to almost nothing, then were nothing. The light crept back inside her, fading until it might never have been there but for the new flesh on Katara's hands. She pulled them dripping from the water, turning them over and marveling at them.

"Zuko…"

"I worked hard for those calluses, you know." He frowned at her, but it was ruined by his smile. She threw her arms around him, knocking them both back into the water. Zuko cried out and she let him up, babbling apologies.

"Try it."

She glanced down river but none of their companions seemed to notice their antics. Zuko sloshed to the bank as Katara sat in the water behind him, still staring at her hands. He leaned back against the tree again, raising the heat around him to steam his clothes dry.

Hesitantly, as if trying not to get her hopes up but desperately wanting to, Katara made a basic waterbending gesture, pulling a thin, shimmering snake into the air and swirling it around in front of her. She let it go back into the water and Zuko smiled at the grin spreading across her face. With a whoop, she raised her arms in a dramatic flourish and sent a tidal wave of river water and reeds splashing over the bank. Zuko managed a strangled yelp before he was drenched. He spat out river water and glared at her. She beamed back at him.

"I just finished drying off."

Katara laughed, a beautiful, clear, chiming sound. She flopped down in the water and started floating down the river. Zuko chuckled to himself as he heard shouts from downstream, and began drying his clothes again.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

The fire was massive that night. News of Chizu's returned bending abilities had spread through the camp and everyone wanted to celebrate. They had a waterbender. They had a healer. Chizu was happy.

From his seat, Zuko watched shadowy figures skip around the fire. Someone (he suspected Iroh) had produced a tsungi horn and was playing it across camp. Romjak had broken out the good firewhiskey and bellowed that he had never been happier.

Zuko sat apart. He watched as Katara was approached and congratulated, as she smiled and nodded thanks. Kaya, with much grumbling, had been sent to bed hours ago. He was content on his log, in the shadows, with his mug of firewhiskey. Several of his students sat not too far off, observing him. He had noticed several couples wander off into the woods and wondered when his observers would give in to similar proclivities and go away. He smiled into his mug as the first stood and walked back to the fire. The rest followed soon after, passing Katara on their way. She waved to them and sat down beside him on the log, so close that their legs touched. He set down his mug of firewhiskey and pulled her onto his lap, cradling her body against his.

"Won't you be missed?" He asked, nuzzling his lips against her hair, inhaling the smell of her.

"No more than you will." She sighed, wrapping her arms around him. His hand sought hers and brought it into the firelight. Not even a scrape was left. She twisted from his grasp to turn his cheek to hers, kissing him long and slow. She pulled back and Zuko's fuzzy brain protested. "Thank you."

In response he gripped the back of her head and brought her back to him. She turned, straddling his hips with hers. His hands roamed across her back, brushing against her rear, making her gasp. His lips found her throat and laid hard, ravishing kisses along her jugular. She moaned quietly in his ear, her hands gripping claw-like along his back. Zuko reveled in the feel of her fingers moving against him, knowing what they meant. The fierce waterbender that had challenged and fought him so much seven years ago was back. And she was rising, laughing, tugging him along after her.

They collapsed into his bedroll, the firewhiskey pumping through both of them greasing over any romantic hesitation. Her shirt, then his was hastily discarded. Katara's hands were in his hair, on his shoulders, on his hips and moving lower. He murmured in her ear between kisses, ready and waiting for her.

Dimly, the noise of a commotion broke through the walls of the tent. Zuko frowned but Katara's kisses were too sweet, her hands too soft. He groaned as her pants and leggings were tossed past his ear. He rolled on top of her as the shouting outside grew louder and closer. Finally he sat up with a growl, ready to blister whoever was interrupting them when the tent flap flew open. He caught a glimpse of Romjak's red face and Bao's surprised one around the intruding brown face that was glaring down in horror at them. Zuko threw a blanket over Katara and stood with a lighted fist, aware that the only clothing he had on was his pants. And they were uncomfortably tight in a certain area.

"Katara?"

"_Sokka_?"

"Zuko?"

"Katara?"

"_Suki_?"

Zuko let his fist go dark, staring at the blue eyed brother of the woman he had been planning on bedding for the whole night and maybe again in the morning depending on his headache. Katara sat frozen, clutching the blanket to her. The woman beside Sokka murmured an apology and backed out, leaving the two men to size each other up. After many moments of awkward silence, Katara cleared her throat, motioning for the men to get out. They stepped outside the tent, stiff with tension.

"So…" Sokka averted his eyes to Zuko, a crooked smile spreading across his face. "How have your last seven years been?"

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

**A.N.** Muahahaha! Sucks for Zuko! xD sorry for the short chapter…couldn't resist leaving it like this!


	12. Chapter 12

_We are the long forgotten sons_

_And daughters that_

_Don't belong to anyone._

_**-Rise Against, 'Long Forgotten Sons'**_

Katara scrambled to collect her clothes, dreading what was going on outside her tent. Sokka…she hadn't seen him since Aang died. She thought he was dead. Not the best time to prove he wasn't, but Sokka never had good timing. Sokka…just his name made her giddy with happiness. He and Suki lived! Her fingers trembled as she buttoned her boots, rushing in her excitement.

She pushed aside the flaps of Zuko's tent and exited to a crowd. Her eyes darted about, seeing Romjak, Akiak, Bao, and Chi Lin standing together beside the fire, their faces in shadow. A dozen other faces stood apart, new to her. She glanced at them suspiciously. Even after seven years, the threat of Ozai finding her loomed high in her mind. She doubted anyone who had come with Sokka was a spy, but the threat was ever-present. The village pressed in, enclosing the fire and the newcomers in a semi-circle.

Sokka stood toe-to-toe with Zuko in the middle, a few feet from where she stood. His hair was longer; his face gaunter and tipped with a small beard, a serious look tinged his once goofy face. But he was still Sokka, still her brother, though he reminded her more of their father now. Suki stood to the side behind him, posture tense. Her hair was longer also, blowing in the slight night breeze. She had a scar across her neck, as if she had worn a collar that had dug into her skin. Katara looked closer at Sokka and the newcomers and saw the same scar around their necks. She turned her gaze back to the two men bristling at each other, hands straying towards swords they didn't have. Zuko stood shirtless, pale skin shining against his dark hair in the firelight.

"You really need to shave." Sokka jeered, narrowing his eyes at the other man.

Zuko scowled and stared him down. "You need a haircut."

"That's what I've been saying!" Sokka exclaimed. He leaned forward to whisper: "Suki won't let me."

Zuko snorted. Postures relaxed on all sides, the small exchange easing tensions. From between the villagers, a sleepy Kaya walked forward to wrap herself around Zuko's leg. He looked down to glimpse her face, large golden eyes glinting up at him. He stretched a hand down to stroke her hair and she leaned her face against his leg, inspecting this stranger who had her mother's face. She frowned.

In the silence broken only by sparks and pops from the fire, Katara walked forward to join Zuko, lifting Kaya into her arms. Sokka watched with sharp blue eyes, looking between the three of them. Suddenly his jaw dropped and he pointed a finger between them.

"You-You!" He lunged forward menacingly. Zuko instinctively thrust Katara and Kaya behind him a pace, stepping half in front of them. "Did you knock my sister up with your evil Fire Nation seed?"

Zuko's chin came up and his eyes narrowed. Katara's mouth gaped open in a surprised 'o', dumbfounded. The village murmured. To their sides, Romjak sighed deeply. It had been his suspicion as well. It would explain Chizu's reaction, not to mention Kaya's. Blood called to blood. He wished Chizu had told him.

"Don't call my father evil!" Kaya's tiny voice was hard, and she was glaring at Sokka. "He's not. He's nice and amazing and a better sword fighter than you'll ever be."

"You've never seen me fight!" Sokka exclaimed, glaring back at the six year old. He shook his head. "That doesn't matter. Answer the question!" he jabbed his finger at Zuko.

"Sokka," Suki stepped forward, laying her hand on his arm but he shook her off.

"Answer me!" He whirled on Katara. "Is she your daughter?"

"Yes." Katara answered, hitching Kaya up higher on her hip. She looked at her, seeing the annoyance in her daughter's eyes. She did look sort of like Zuko, more than she looked like Ozai anyway. "Tell your Uncle your name."

"I'm an Uncle." Sokka smiled for a moment before his face hardened again.

"I'm Kaya." The girl said, eyes glistening gold in her dusky face. "And I don't like you."

"Kaya!" Katara admonished. Kaya squirmed from her grasp and ducked into Zuko's tent. Katara shot Sokka a rebuking glance, chastising him silently, and ducked in after her.

Zuko watched them go, wishing he could go with them. He turned with a rumble of annoyance back to Sokka. The water tribe man was glaring at him. The girl beside him, Suki, she wasn't familiar to him. Her grey eyes looked him up and down, but she didn't smile or grimace. Her face was perfectly controlled and unreadable, as opposed to Sokka's.

"Now she has to hide? I've only just found her." He scowled at Zuko. "Are you the girl's father or not? It's an easy question."

The village held its breath. Zuko looked at Romjak who was staring at him, and he knew that the village headman also wondered the answer to Sokka's question.

"So what if I am?" He bit out. "Is that such a bad thing? As least I love her." He turned back to Sokka, uncrossing his arms. Before the other man could answer, Zuko said quietly: "No. I don't know who is."

"I'm not sure if that's better." Romjak muttered from beside the fire. The two men and Suki turned to look at him. The headman walked to join their small standoff, clapping a restraining hand on Zuko's shoulder. Zuko stiffened but didn't shrug him off. "This is a family matter, not one for the entire village's ears." He addressed Sokka: "You will not attack _Lee_ while enjoying my hospitality, tribesman. We have quarters set aside for newcomers. You may lead your people this way." To Zuko, he said: "It's late. See you in the morning."

Zuko gave him a nod without taking his eyes from Sokka. The darker man raised an eyebrow at Zuko's choice of cover name and opened his mouth for what Zuko expected was a biting comment when Suki reached up and covered his mouth. "See you in the morning." She said, giving Zuko and Romjak an apologetic smile. Romjak nodded and allowed Suki to drag Sokka away, although he glared at Zuko over his shoulder.

"My brother-in-law was a pain in the ass as well." Romjak grumbled to Zuko.

He watched Sokka and Suki until they were out of sight, disappeared into a set of unused tents. "Did he grow out of it?"

"No." Romjak turned to go. "Brothers are always protective of sisters. Sometimes too much."

Zuko stood outside his tent until the rest of the village had followed Romjak's example and gone to bed. When only several of his students remained, posting themselves on sentry duty despite his glares, he walked into his tent.

Katara looked up at his entrance. He looked tired and annoyed. The buzz from the firewhiskey had worn off long ago and its absence probably wasn't helping. Kaya had already fallen asleep beside her after being reprimanded for rudeness. The girl had shrugged it off, saying no one should be rude to her father in the first place. Katara hadn't tried to start explaining to her about Zuko, instead laying her daughter down on the bedroll and brushing her hair from her face until she fell asleep. She had heard her brother confront Zuko again and had heard Zuko say he loved her. She was sure it had been in the heat of the moment, but when he sank down beside her, gathering her close to him and kissing her on the forehead, she wasn't sure. She also wasn't sure she didn't love him back. She kissed him back, still reveling in the newness of his skin on hers.

He collapsed beside her with a groan. "As great as it is to know your brother's alive…"

"Sokka can be difficult." She whispered next to him. "He'll get better."

"I hope so." Zuko murmured, laying his arm across his eyes. "I'd hate to have to duel him in order to sleep with you."

She giggled. "You'd win anyway. Sokka can't bend."

"Not the point." He peeked a glare out at her from under his arm.

"I know." She said, laying down next to him and wrapping her arm around his chest, nuzzling her face against his shoulder. He turned on his side to twine their ankles together, holding her against him with his chin on her head. "Did you mean what you said to him?"

"Hmmm?"

She kneed him in the stomach, making him wince. "Yes." She tilted her head up to kiss his neck and he groaned softly. "Don't do that."

"Why?" She did it again and he nudged back.

"Because your daughter's here."

"Oh." She chuckled and buried her head against his chest before rolling over so her back lay against his front. She pulled the sleeping Kaya into a similar embrace, yanking the bedroll up to cover the three of them.

Zuko laid his arm over her, tugging her and Kaya closer. As he drifted off to the melody of their steady breathing, he knew he hadn't meant what he said to Sokka. What he felt for her, for Katara, wasn't love. It was a connection on a more base level, a connection of their spirits. It went beyond what he knew to be love. He knew he loved his Uncle. He had loved Azula, before she tried to kill him the first time. He was Katara, and she was him. Twisted together at the soul. And no brother could change that.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Zuko cracked an eye open to see that the sun had risen without him. Again. With a frustrated growl, he extricated himself from the sleeping Katara, striding outside. The camp was beginning to stir; those who were responsible for breakfast were already cooking. He could hear the snores coming from his Uncle's tent. Iroh must have drunken too much the night before. His own head felt fine.

"I'm sorry I said you snore." A small voice peeped up from in front of him. Kaya was looking at the ground as she sat on one of the logs surrounding the fire pit, the embers still smoking slightly from the day before. "It really is your Uncle."

"He's worse than an armadillo bear." Zuko growled. At Kaya's blank look he sighed. "They live in the Fire Nation and are really noisy." He sat down next to her, prodding the coals with a stick.

"Oh." Kaya looked down at her hands.

"Is something wrong?" Zuko asked her, wincing at a particularly pugnacious snore from his Uncle.

"I feel bad about what I said to that man last night." She looked up at him sorrowfully, but her eyes were dry. "I'm scared he's going to take mom away."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because." Kaya said, staring into the embers. "Akiak told me that she's not from here. That she's from the North like all water people, where it's always cold and people live in the snow. He's from there, and he says that she has to go back to where she belongs someday." She gave a small sigh. "But I don't want her to go. I don't want to leave here. I _like_ it here." She smiled at him. "And you're not a water person, so you couldn't come and I don't want to leave you either."

Zuko gave her a half smile and put his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled into his side. "You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to. Same with your mother." He knew that the Water Tribes' homes didn't exist anymore, but it wasn't something he wanted to explain to a child. The Northern tribe had taken longer to defeat than the Southern, but it was still desolated and abandoned. There would have to be a lot of work done before anyone could live there again. "But we will have to leave here soon anyway, and I promise that wherever your mother and you go, I'll go."

"Really?" Kaya asked, her voice hopeful.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

Zuko looked around, seeing no one close enough to overhear them. "Kaya, we need to talk about what happened in the woods."

"Why?" Kaya said, avoiding his eyes.

"Because you're the Avatar."

"I know." Kaya sighed, thumping her head into his ribs and making him wince. "Aang told me that."

"_Aang_ did?" Zuko asked, surprised. He knew the Avatar had a connection to their past lives, but he didn't know those lives could communicate with the current Avatar incarnation.

"Yep." Kaya replied, tracing her finger over the bark of the log. "The first time I bended anything, I accidentally set some stuff on fire. Aang told me how to put it out." She crumbled a leaf between her fingers. "He told me that I was born a firebender, but that I was also the Avatar, and able to bend everything. He told me that he would help me, because of my mom, and because there aren't any more airbenders."

"Because of your mom?"

"Mhm." Kaya nodded. "My mom thinks that the Avatar is gone, because of what happened to Aang from Azula." She scrunched her nose at the name and Zuko snorted. "Aang said that he and my mom were really good friends. I…" she hesitated. "I don't think she wants there to be an Avatar."

Zuko frowned. "Why do you think that?"

"Because she still wants the Avatar to be Aang and for him to have not died." Kaya explained. "If I tell her I'm the Avatar, she'll get mad at me. And everyone's looking for me, but I don't even know how to do anything really. I'm best at fire though."

"Can you show me?" Zuko asked, placing a small pile of twigs and leaves in front of her.

Kaya took a deep breath and glared fiercely at the pile. At Zuko's cocked eyebrow she said: "It helps sometimes to be mad at it." She inhaled and exhaled slowly, then jabbed her small fist at her target. A small messy fire ball erupted from her clenched fingers, spurting licks of flame everywhere, incinerating the pile. Zuko smiled; a natural. Azula had started almost this way as well: raw talent with no control. Kaya already had more control than Azula did at her age, but she was still rough.

"I can teach you firebending." Zuko told her in a low voice. He summoned his own inner fire, wrapping it near to his arm in a spiral, culminating with a torch over his index finger. "Moswren can teach you earthbending if you want. He's very good at not telling."

Kaya's grin split her face. "I want to be better, so when the bad guys come again, I can do something about it."

"No." Zuko's tone was harsh. "You need to stay away from any fighting. A battlefield isn't a place for a child." He thought for a moment. "Would it be okay if we told my Uncle about you? He's very wise."

"The armadillo bear?" Kaya chuckled.

"When he was younger, he was called the Dragon of the West." Zuko said. "He's been around the entire world and knows a lot about the different nations. He's even been to the Spirit World."

Kaya's eyes widened. "Really?"

"It was a long time ago." A deeper voice answered. "And it proved a fruitless journey."

Zuko and Kaya both turned as Iroh came up behind them. "What was it you both wanted to tell me?" His voice was serious as he sat on the log opposite them, his hands enclosed in the wide sleeves of his robe.

Kaya and Zuko looked at each other. Zuko nodded in Iroh's direction, encouraging her. She took a deep breath and looked Iroh in the eye. "I'm the Avatar." Her small voice left no room for doubt.

Iroh regarded her carefully, looking her up and down. He extended his hands to her, and she placed her dainty ones in his large, warm, callused palms. Iroh closed his eyes and she mirrored him. After a moment, Iroh jerked back as if he had been shocked. Kaya clutched her hands back in alarm, but Iroh was laughing. "So you are." He shook his head. "So young." He looked to Zuko. "How long have you known, nephew?"

"Since the attack." Zuko answered. "She doesn't want her mother to know."

"No." Iroh sighed. "I suppose she would not. Her mother still grieves over Avatar Aang. I agree that she is not yet ready to meet his successor." He turned to Kaya. "What do you know already, child?"

"My name's not child, it's Kaya." She said it without disrespect in her tone. Zuko thought she sounded more thoughtful than offended. "I know how to make a fireball and a long flame, and how to make a little breeze, and how to make the water shiver, and how to raise a pebble onto my foot. Avatar Aang said he'll help me with airbending, and I know that when I die, I'll be reborn into the Earth Kingdom, because the Avatar gets reincarnated. "

"Those are all good places to start. I suppose Zuko has offered to teach you firebending already." Iroh smiled at Zuko's confirming nod. "The hardest part will be finding a waterbending master. Your mother is the only one I know. I can assist you with mediation, and spiritual advice." His face lit up. "Tell me, Kaya, have you had tea before?"

Zuko slipped away as the teapot came out.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Zuko returned to his tent to find Katara just waking. She rolled onto her back at his entrance and groaned, her hands going to her head.

"I hate firewhiskey." She moaned, resting her elbow across her eyes.

"Could have fooled me." Zuko murmured. "The way you were drinking it last night."

She raised her elbow to glare at him. "I hate you."

"No you don't." He flopped down beside her.

"Mhm." She moaned.

"Oh really?" He pushed her arm away and tilted her head up, placing soft kisses across her neck.

"Yup." She said, breathing a little faster. "Hate hate hate."

"Mhm…" his hand traced up her hip to grip her side, digging his fingers in below her ribs as he nipped and sucked at the soft spot below her ear and was rewarded by her low growl. He smirked against her skin. "Still hate me?"

"Yes." She gasped.

"Hmm." He pushed aside her already loose robes and ran his hand against the skin of her stomach, letting it wander upwards. He felt her muscles tense and her breath roughen. He rolled to lie on top of her, supported on his elbows. He pulled apart the opening of her tunic, revealing her breasts. He ran his finger along her breast bone, deliberately avoiding the sensitive tips of her. She glared at his toothy smile.

"I really hate you."

"No you don't." He dipped his head to take a dark nipple into his mouth. She moaned beneath him as his tongue laved her, bucking her hips to crash against his. He sucked her into him, bringing his hand up to mirror the attentions to her other nipple, his length pressing against her through their pants. She writhed at his touch, craning her neck up to leave biting kisses on his neck. He growled at her, capturing her mouth with his. His tongue battled hers, plundering her mouth. She clasped his face in her hands, pulling him closer. He pushed the sleeves down her arms, removing her tunic and shrugged out of his own. She lowered her hands to his chest to run her nails against his skin, making him hiss. Her hands went lower, stroking the engorged length of his cock with their soft tips. He moaned into her hair, the feeling of her hands around him exciting him even more.

With a feral growl, Zuko reared up to remove her pants, sliding them past her ankles. His fingers dug into her hips as she freed him from his own trousers.

"I want to try something." He panted and she gave him a sideways look. "Trust me." She nodded. Still gripping her hips, Zuko turned onto his back, dragging her with him. He settled her astride him, his cock pressing against her backside. She looked unsure, until he lifted her to slide her down slowly onto him. He watched her confused look turn to one of passion as she felt him fill her, her own arousal making it easy. Zuko shifted his hips and she moaned, enjoying the feel of him inside her. Zuko bucked his hips gently, urging her to move. She slowly lifted herself from him, reveling at the sensation of his length withdrawing from her tight insides. Zuko groaned, his hands moving from her hips to flick against her nipples and she crashed back down with a gasp. He lifted her slightly so she hovered over him so he could thrust into her.

Katara moaned, rocking herself against him to begin a rhythm of thrust and withdraw, thrust and withdraw. He could feel her walls tightening around him, growing slicker. He put his hands on her back, bending her forward so her face lay against his shoulder and he began to thrust into her hard and fast. Katara moaned loudly at his hammering thrusts, sinking her teeth into his shoulder to muffle herself as she came, her arousal dripping around his cock to run down her legs. The sight of her glistening thighs and panting mouth sent him over the edge and he lifted her from him to finish on his own heaving stomach. They stayed for a moment, panting, looking into each other's eyes.

Zuko closed his first, wiping sweat from his brow.

Katara laughed softly. "Wear you out?"

"Mhm." He murmured, flipping over to squish her under him. She squeaked, pushing at his shoulders as he laughed, trying not to flatten her with his weight. He carefully supported himself on his elbows and knees as he dappled kisses on her squirming face and neck.

"I still hate you." She giggled under him, returning his kisses.

"Well, I'll just have to keep trying to change your mind later." He rose above her, tugging on a new pair of pants and his boots. She lay contentedly on his bedroll, her eyes closed and face peaceful except for her smirk. He gazed down at her as he fastened the ties of his tunic. She still lay naked from the waist up, his bedroll covering the rest of her. He felt a surge of masculine pride at the sight of her in his tent, in his bedroll, reclining after his attentions. He liked the sight and the feeling that she belonged with him, wherever he was.

"You're okay here?" He asked, kneeling beside her.

"Mhm." She murmured, opening her eyes slightly. Her lips were swollen from his kisses as she smiled. "I'll get up soon."

"Okay." He kissed her again, long and slow. She groaned into the kiss, clutching after him as he left.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"Where is she?"

The demand was shouted at him as he sat at the breakfast table with Romjak, Moswren, Kamol, Chi Lin, and several of his students. He blew steam from his nose as he stood, pushing his plate of eggs and boar-q-pine bacon to face Katara's brother.

The tribesman was advancing angrily, though Zuko took the fact that he was unarmed as a good sign. Romjak stood as well, laying his hand on his belt near to where his axe hung. Chi Lin and the rest continued eating, though Zuko saw the knife master keeping careful watch.

"In the tent." Zuko replied to Sokka's loud question. "She's still waking up."

Sokka glared at him. "I don't know how you managed to trick my sister into sleeping with you, but I can see right through you." He jabbed a finger at Zuko's chest. "Are you here for your father?"

"No." Zuko batted Sokka's hand away, aware that the table had fallen quiet to listen. "I haven't tricked your sister into doing anything."

"Then why does her daughter think you're her father when you say you're not?" Sokka demanded, his voice at a more reasonable level.

"Because our eyes are the same color."

"That guy's eyes are the same color too." Sokka said, pointing a finger at Chi Lin. The knife master wiped his mouth with a cloth and gazed serenely at the noisy newcomer. "Why didn't she latch onto him?"

"You'd have to ask her." Zuko said. "I need to get going." His students rose at his words, dispersing to gather their practice weapons. "I'm glad you're not dead." He turned to go, leaving Sokka frowning after him.

"Wait." He turned back. Sokka approached him, his posture much less hostile. He was surprised when the other man bowed low at the waist. "I apologize for my behavior. I was imprisoned by the Fire Nation for six years. We only managed to escape a few months ago." He straightened to look Zuko in the eye, his face guilty. "I've gotten used to thinking of all firebenders as enemies. I forgot that not all of you are evil." He offered his hand to Zuko, who, after a moment, clasped it. His face darkened to the scowl Zuko recognized from their encounters years ago. "But that doesn't mean I approve of you being with my sister."

"I'm not asking for your approval." Zuko replied, gripping Sokka's arm tighter. "Maybe you should talk to her next time before attacking me at breakfast."

"I think I'll do that." Sokka released Zuko, his frown softening. Zuko nodded and strode off, his assembled students sending annoyed glances back at Sokka as they followed him.

"He is an interesting man." Chi Lin's rasping, lightly accented voice spoke near Sokka's shoulder. The tribesman turned to look at him. The knife master was looking after Zuko, eyes contemplative. "He is a good teacher. And will be a great leader. If you hurt him," He began to walk off, not bothering to glance back. "I'll slit your throat."

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

**A.N.** Awww, Zuko's making friends!


	13. Chapter 13

_Hey brother! There's an endless road to rediscover_

_Hey sister! Know the water's sweet but blood is thicker_

_Oh! If the sky comes falling down_

_For you_

_There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do_

_**-Avicii, 'Hey Brother'**_

"So, I think we should talk."

Katara looked over her shoulder to see Sokka standing behind her, his arms crossed and eyes downcast. She was standing in the middle of the slow-flowing river, running her hands along its surface. She had wanted to experiment with her regained bending, but was afraid that if she tried, nothing would happen and it would have all been in her imagination.

She grinned and waded to shore, throwing her arms around her brother. "I'm so glad you're here, Sokka!" she pulled back, her smile diminishing a little. "Yeah, I guess we should."

"Is there a good place around here, or…?"

"We can cross the river here and walk on the other side." Katara suggested, indicating the opposite bank. The forest thickened on the other side, completely untamed with overgrown weeds, roots, and unknown creatures lurking in its thick shadows.

"That's fine." Sokka grimaced as he waded through the water, noticing that his sister had no problem getting _her_ clothes wet. She could just bend them dry anyway.

They clambered up the steep bank and sat on its sandy peak for a moment. Sokka looked at Katara expectantly.

"What?" she asked. "Do you want me to go first?"

"Well, yeah, but do you think you could…?" he gestured to their clothes. Katara looked confused. "You know, bend our clothes dry?"

"Oh." Katara said, her eyes shooting to the river. "Right. Of course." She took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly through her nose. With trembling hands and awkward motions, she pulled the water from first hers then Sokka's clothes and sent it streaming in a flood back to the river.

Sokka eyed her concernedly. "You used to be a lot better at that."

"It's been awhile okay?" Katara snapped.

"It's been awhile? Since what, you bended?" Sokka pulled her to her feet and they began walking. "I think you should start."

"I don't even know where to begin." Katara murmured, plucking a leaf from a passing tree and shredding it. "It's been so long…"

"I know." Sokka's voice was quiet, sad. They walked for a moment in silence, each reflecting on their own lost childhoods, and wondering how they could ever tell the other about the things that had happened.

"I guess…when Aang died?" Sokka nodded and Katara bit her lip before speaking. "Zhao captured me. He took me to the Fire Lord. Ozai…he…hurt me until he was sure I didn't think the Avatar could have lived." Katara closed her eyes against the torturous memories. "I escaped from there a month later, but my hands," she lifted them to see if the scars were really gone. "they were badly burned and I couldn't heal them. It hurt to grip anything for a long time, or to even move them. They healed twisted and wrong. Zuko just helped me get them back." She sighed. "I stowed away on a ship headed for the Earth Kingdom, but they found me and tossed me overboard halfway through the third day. I managed to cling to a floating log that took me back to shore, but I was still in the Fire Nation." Sokka guided his sister to a flat, mossy rock and sat down beside her on it, listening silently to her story. "For a couple months I worked as a cleaner in an inn beside the shore until I had enough to buy passage to the Earth Kingdom. The people who owned the inn were kind and didn't ask questions. By the time I left, I…I knew I was pregnant." She heard Sokka's muttered oath, but he didn't interrupt. "The ship wouldn't let me on when they saw my eyes; they said that all suspected water tribesman had to report to the capital, and one of them grabbed me. I bit him and he let go, but then they all came at me. I ran." She rubbed a hand across her eyes. It was hard to remember this part. "I don't really know where I went or what I did to survive, but I know I stowed away on another ship at some point. By the time I was close to…to having the baby, I was in the Earth Kingdom, near the western tip, about two hundred miles from here. Romjak and his wife found me and brought me back here with them. I had Kaya a month later. We've been living in this village ever since." She turned to give Sokka a little smile. "Two months ago Zuko and his Uncle showed up in a refugee group from a village that had been destroyed by the Fire Nation. No one here really remembers there ever was a Fire Prince, so they've been living as Lee and Mushi."

"That's great." Sokka spat. Katara looked at him in alarm: his fists were shaking on his knees. "He doesn't know she's his, does he?" At her astonished look, he growled: "She's Ozai's isn't she? Kaya. She's Zuko's fucking half-sister."

"Yes." Katara whispered, looking away.

"Who else knows that?" Sokka yelled. "Who else knows she's the Phoenix King's bastard?"

"No one!" Katara screamed back at him. The tears were beginning to line her face. "She's mine too, Sokka! She's _my_ daughter, she's _nothing_ like him!"

"Do you think that matters?" Sokka ground out. "If he finds out, if he finds _you_…" He sighed angrily. "He'll destroy you both. So will Azula! The Fire Nation won't want a bastard Fire Princess on the wrong side."

"She's not a Fire Princess." Katara snapped. "She's Kaya of the Forest." Sokka cocked an eyebrow at her. Katara shrugged, brushing the tears away. "That's what she calls herself."

Sokka chuckled. "Why not of the Water Tribe?"

"Because she's not a bender." Katara sighed. "She grew up in these woods. They're all she knows."

Sokka rubbed the back of his head and looked out into the forest. "Have you told him?"

"_Ozai_?"

"No." Sokka gave her a condescending look. "_That_ guy's son."

"No. I don't know how." She replied, frowning at the ground. "It's not like I can just go 'hey guy I've been sleeping with, this is actually your sister. Your father raped me, but it's okay now 'cause I think I love you.'" She laughed, a nervous, hysterical giggle. "That'll work."

Sokka put his arm around her, tugging her close. "We'll figure it out."

"Yeah." Katara slumped against him. "I should tell him?"

"I think he deserves to know."

"What if he hates me?" It wasn't really a question. A fear brought to life. "What if he hates her? What if she turns out like Azula?"

"I don't think at this point anything would make him hate you." Sokka reassured her. "I think he loves you. Like, a lot. And she'll never be Azula, not with you for a mom."

"Thanks, Sokka." She hugged him again, still so happy to find him alive. "Your turn."

Sokka sighed and stood, Katara mirroring him. Their footsteps crunched through the sun-dappled forest floor, overturning stones and sticks in their path.

"It was Azula who took us after we were captured." Sokka began. "Her and her two creepy friends. They dumped us in the bottom of their ship and didn't come back for days. By the time they did, we were starving, dehydrated. She interrogated us about the Avatar, about you, about where Appa could have gone." At Katara's questioning noise, Sokka shook his head and continued. "We wouldn't tell her anything. She told us it didn't matter, that _her father_," he spit the words. "would be getting information from you soon, that he had special plans for you and if we didn't cooperate with her you'd die." He looked at his feet. "We didn't really have any new information, but we knew…we knew Aang was dead. We didn't know where Appa was. She had the guards feed us and left us in the dark again.

A couple weeks into the journey, she started taking Suki out, up on deck. She won't tell me what Azula did to her, not even now. She'd come back bleeding and terrified, white as a ghost." Sokka cleared his throat. Katara felt her heart wrench. "Once she came back and Azula had taken her little fingers. Had that girl chop them off at the second knuckle. It was only luck she didn't die from infection." Katara made a strained choking noise, her face a mask of hurt and anger. "They healed up okay, and she can still fight. But she says that if she ever sees that girl again, it'll be a slow death for one of them.

"The ship docked soon after that and guards came down to throw black bags over our heads and drag us up the metal stairs. We walked for a while before they lifted the bags briefly so we could go down a long dark flight of stairs, sliding the bags back on when we reached the bottom. I screamed when I felt them take Suki away from me; I thought they were going to kill her. But they threw me in a cage underground, leaving the bag over my head. I remember wondering why it wasn't hotter in the Fire Nation when I heard Azula's laugh from a little ways away. She was explaining to someone, a guard I think, that war prisoners were usually taken to the Boiling Rock, but her father thought it would be a bad idea for a lot of potential water benders to have access to such a dangerous resource. We were in Ba Sing Se, in the prison of the Dai Li under Lake Laogai. All the guards were members." It was Katara's turn to swear. "When I finally got the bag off my head, I saw the green crystals and the stone walls of the cell, lined with metal bars. I spent a long time pacing the confines of my cell, trying to stay sane."

"I didn't see Suki for years. I didn't know what happened to her…I thought she was dead because she obviously wasn't Water Tribe. A few months after we got imprisoned, water tribe people started trickling in; men on one side, women on the other, separated by a huge wall. My cell was close enough to the entrance that I could see everyone who got brought in and where they were sent. I found out soon that they were all benders; non-benders were sent somewhere else, apparently to live in the Fire Nation capital where they could be watched. I guess I was considered too dangerous, since I travelled with the Avatar.

"Days, then weeks, months, and years passed in that cell. We tried to stay as fit as we could, doing exercises and talking. But we weren't fed well, and anytime they did feed us they strapped us all down and dumped any water down our throats. We were lucky we didn't drown half the time.

"Six months ago, it was just another day. Gross food, attempted drowning,you know, the usual." Katara snorted. "I don't know why but that song, that stupid song, got stuck in my head somehow. That one those idiot travelling players sang? _Secret tunnel, secret tunnel_..." Katara rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I started humming it, and the men all wanted to know what it was. I told them the words and we started singing it. Loudly. Soon we were yelling it at the top of our lungs. It seemed to really annoy the guards. We sang it every day for almost a week, when, and this is crazy, we started hearing rumbling on the other side of the wall. Remember that drill that almost went through the wall of Ba Sing Se that one time?" Katara smiled and nodded. "It sounded just like that! So, we're hearing this noise, but only when we're singing that song. We stop, it stops. And one morning, before our meal of the morning, we found cracks in the wall and they were spreading and we started singing and suddenly there was a badgermole!"

"A badgermole?"

"A _badgermole_!"

"No way."

"Yes! We were busted out of jail by a badgermole!" Sokka waved his arms in the air, emphasizing his story. "There ended up being two of them and they tore a big hole in the side of our cell and lifted up the metal bars from underneath. A lot of the men scrambled out then, escaping into their tunnel, but I wanted to find out about Suki. Twenty of us waited and ambushed the guards when they showed up. We knocked them down long enough to get their keys and let the women out. I almost didn't recognize Suki, and I know she didn't recognize me. I had the coolest beard." Sokka's eyes turned wistful. "There were maybe twenty women that escaped with us. Six were too sick and we had to leave them behind." His eyes turned sad, regretful. "We followed the winding tunnels of the badgermoles for two days before we reached the surface. It actually brought us out close to the shore, about seventy miles from here. Everyone who had escaped earlier had waited for us there, so we had about two hundred people all standing around not knowing what to do. A lot of them struck out on their own, saying they were going back to the North Pole to see what was left and start rebuilding.

"When the rest of us finally got to a town, we stuck out really bad. A whole bunch of people with blue eyes and word of a break out? Not a good combination. Luckily, we had come up in one of the last free towns in the Earth Kingdom, though they knew we'd be followed. The tunnels weren't…subtle. But there were a lot of bends and shoot-offs. A couple kids showed us the way here, and told us that Romjak took in anyone who showed up. So we're all here. Me and almost a hundred waterbenders. The end." He gestured dramatically, making Katara smile. They came to a stop in a beam of light that broke through the dense tree cover. Katara watched as a flock of birds flew from the ground and up through the break in the leaves.

Sokka watched her. His sister was different than she was: quieter, less nosy. The old Katara would have pelted him with questions the moment she saw him. He wondered if it was just her growing up, or if what Ozai had done to her had changed her forever. She looked good, healthy. Her cheeks were a little hollow, her waist a little too thin. But the wave of her hair, the flash in her eyes, the determined set of her shoulders; they hadn't changed. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a style that was too Earth Kingdom for him, and he wasn't sure about the green forest clothing. But oh well. She was alive. She was…happy?

"Are you happy?" He blurted out, startling her. She turned to him with raised eyebrows. "Here? With Zuko?"

She smiled, her eyes lowering. "I was happy here long before Zuko came. But yes. He's changed, Sokka. Or maybe he didn't…who he is now, is who he really is." She glared playfully at him. "Don't kill him. He makes me happier."

"If I do, Chi Lin says he'll slit my throat."

"Please don't annoy him either." Katara groaned. "He's one of Romjak's closest advisors. When I first came here, he was only eighteen and new too, and he stuck close to me to make sure no one hurt me." she smiled sadly. "He taught me how to defend myself and use knives. He still watches out for me, when I need it." She cocked her head sideways. "I wonder why he never said anything about Zuko…"

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Strange loyalties aside, he's scary."

"Yeah." Katara giggled. "If you don't hurt him, he won't hurt you."

"I really missed you, Katara." Sokka grabbed her up in a bear hug that she returned just as fiercely.

"I thought you were dead." She whispered, tears running down her face. "I should've looked for you."

"No, no, no. Don't think like that." He wrapped his arms around her neck. "You would've ended up in that pit with us, and Kaya wouldn't have a mom."

"Do you know what happened to Dad?" she asked him softly, slightly tightening her grip, as if he'd melt away.

"He's somewhere in the Fire Nation Capital." Sokka said, beginning to rock back and forth in a comforting gesture. "He's a prisoner, but he's alive. Bato's with him."

"They destroyed us, Sokka." She whispered.

"No, they just scattered us. We just have to put ourselves back together again. Find our way home."

"I can't remember what 'home' looks like." Katara said, stepping back and wiping her eyes. "I can't remember if home is a block of ice in the shape of a house, or if it's the bank of this river, or the inside of a tent."

"Home looks like wherever you want to be." Sokka said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Right now, I could use a home that looked like a pile of meat."

Katara let out a watery laugh and couldn't stop. Sokka joined her, letting the stress and the memories out.

"C'mon. We can get you something to eat." Katara turned to go back to where they first crossed. "And I'd love to talk to some of your waterbenders.

"Yes, please." Sokka followed her eagerly, his mouth already watering at the thought of a full belly. "And they're not _my_ waterbenders. Them and their sparkly magic water…"

He laughed as his sister slapped him on the chest before she turned and led him back to the village.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Zuko let himself smile a little bit as he drilled his students as the sound of female laughter rang across the camp. Katara and Suki sat together with several of the waterbending women near the river, catching up. The women seemed thrilled to be near water again and were practicing their bending. He knew the girl from Kyoshi was avoiding him. He really wanted to go sit with Katara, bury his face in her hair, listen to what they were talking about, but he knew if he intruded he'd only push Katara's friends further away. And she was happy having someone to talk to about…girl things, he supposed, and be with her own people again. The thought made him just a little sad…what if she really did want to leave? To return home. Leave him behind and rebuild the Poles.

"Patterns!" Zuko bellowed. His students shifted into the first of their patterns, blending through the eight attack forms one after the other. Zuko wandered through them, pointing out blunders and correcting stances. He felt his pride swell as he noticed less and less mistakes.

"Hey." Sokka's voice came from over his shoulder and Zuko turned. Sokka stood with a practice sword in one hand, the tip resting back on his shoulder. His face was relaxed, matching his posture. His long hair, wavy like his sister's, was tied back in a casual knot, not the traditional warrior wolf-tail. "Want to give them a show?"

"What do you mean?" Zuko walked over to where he stood, keeping an ear on his students. After the morning's confrontation, he wasn't sure about Sokka's feelings towards him. He definitely didn't want to get into another argument.

"Before I was an honored guest of the Fire Nation," Sokka said in a lofty tone. Zuko snorted. "I trained under a Master." He shrugged. "I'd like to see if I can still fight."

"You could duel one of them." Zuko jerked his head to indicate his students.

"No. I want to duel _you_." Sokka's face was determined.

Zuko looked him up and down, searching for a trick. "Why?"

"Because I'm a sword master too." Sokka said. "I just haven't practiced in a while."

"I don't want to hurt you." Zuko said, wondering if Katara would dunk him in the river if he did.

Sokka shrugged. "I'll try not to let you." He shifted into a defensive stance and smirked. "Do you want to put a bet on it?"

Zuko glared at him, aware that behind him his students had stilled to listen. "Can we do this later?"

"I'm free now." Sokka grinned. "You scared?"

Zuko smirked in reply, holding out his hand for a bokken. One of his students stepped forward to press one to his palm, and stepped back just as silently. Zuko swung it in a complicated pattern, making Sokka's eyes widen. "I'll never be scared of you."

Sokka began to circle him, his bokken at the ready. Zuko mirrored him, his steps even and practiced. Sokka struck first, charging at him with a war cry. Zuko wanted to roll his eyes: what idiot screams as he attacks? He countered easily, noting the other man's fumbling swipes and stumbling steps. He crouched back as Sokka collected himself and began to circle again.

Zuko's students spread out to form a loose ring, their bokkens hanging slack in their hands. Sokka's steps got better as he slowly sank back into the rhythm he had known. His muscles stretched and ached, remembering the movements. His face got cockier the longer he circled. He lunged in again, striking close to Zuko's head. Zuko dodged, slapping his sword away with his own, delivering a slap to Sokka's ear. His students chuckled at the look on Sokka's face.

Sokka took the blow in stride, his face sobering up. He crouched low, running at Zuko with his sword cocked behind him. Zuko met him and they clashed body to body, pushing against each other with bared teeth. They parted only to rain blows on each other with ringing wooden thunks as their bokkens collided. They parried and thrusted, stabbed and whirled, the eyes of Zuko's students getting larger and larger. Sokka's confidence grew with every strike, his moves becoming more fluid. Zuko found it more and more difficult to block him and lunged forward, taking the offensive. Sokka fell back, a frown creasing his face, his teeth bared, as he blocked Zuko's attack.

Katara and Suki came with the waterbendering women to stand with the growing crowd, drawn by the sounds of wood on wood.

"Isn't it great to see the boys getting along." Suki said dryly, making Katara snort.

"Better than it has been." Katara muttered back. "At least these swords have no points on them." Suki nodded in agreement.

From around them, mutterings turned into cheers for Zuko or Sokka. The waterbenders urged Sokka on, while Zuko's students cheered him on. The two combatants were exchanging blows faster than most people's eyes could follow, matching each other so well it looked almost like a dance. Suki and Katara watched, enraptured, as Zuko finally broke through and delivered a powerful blow to Sokka's ribs, knocking the other man to his knees. He grimaced as Zuko laid the tip of his sword across his throat, asking for his surrender.

"I yield." Sokka growled, laying his bokken on the ground. Zuko smiled crookedly and stuck his hand out to haul the other man to his feet as the crowd cheered. They both looked around, chests heaving. Zuko watched Sokka warily, but the other man turned with a lopsided smile of his own to offer his hand. They clasped each other's elbows; Katara and Suki let out a sigh of relief.

"That was entertaining." Romjak's great growling voice said. The throng in front of him parted to let him through. He strode forward, looking the two winded men up and down. "Lee, how are your students progressing? Have they mastered the eight forms?"

"Almost." Zuko panted, standing tall. "They improve every day."

Romjak stroked his beard. "I believe your warriors would welcome a chance to practice as well, Sokka."

"They're not my warriors." Sokka answered. "But yes, they would."

The headman nodded. "I think it's time to introduce sparring into our daily trainings, one discipline at a time. We can mix them together later. They need to learn how to fight, not just the motions. I believe Chi Lin can handle the weapon matches. But for offensive bending…" He paused for a moment, catching Zuko's eye "Moswren can teach the earth benders. Lee, you can train the Firebenders." Zuko nodded in agreement. "Sokka, can you instruct water bending?"

Sokka chortled. "I'm not even a bender at all. The last free waterbending master is my sister Katara. She was trained by Master Pakku of the Northern Water Tribe, and she trained the last Avatar."

All eyes turned to Katara, including Romjak. He hadn't realized she was a bender, all these years. She straightened, lifting her chin. She knew Sokka didn't realize he had given away more than she had in the last six years. They could probably all guess who she was now. Suki stepped forward to support her, laying a hand on her shoulder. Zuko saw the look on her face, the strength in her stance, and knew she wasn't hiding anymore. His mouth quirked up in a smirk. She had always been a warrior.

"My real name," there was an intake of breath from the camp. Sokka walked to stand next to her, looking guilty. "is Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, Master Water Bender. Student of Master Pakku of the Northern Water Tribe, and teacher of Avatar Aang of the South Air Temple." The wind picked up, blowing her hair across her face in dark stripes. Whispers and murmurs sprang up as she finished speaking. Zuko tensed in anticipation of outrage, but none came. "My brother Sokka is a master swordsman, trained by Piandao of the Fire Nation." Zuko's eyebrows shot up. Piandao had instructed him in his dao swords when he was a child. Sokka's technique _had_ seemed familiar…"My friend, Suki," She gestured to Suki who nodded. "is the former leader of the Kyoshi warriors." She looked at Zuko, struck with an impulse to introduce him formerly as well, but he gave a small shake of his head. It wasn't time yet. "I have only recently regained my bending ability, thanks to Lee." Heads swiveled to inspect Zuko before turning back to her. "I would be honored to lead any waterbending instruction necessary, headman."

Romjak had noted the silent exchange between Chi-Katara and the ex-Prince. He also noted that Katara didn't call him 'father', as she had for years. He supposed it was because of her brother's presence. Or because she had come back to herself. He sighed. He knew it couldn't have lasted forever. But she was strong enough now, with her friend, her brother and her…Prince. He smiled. "We'll be ready for anything now." His smile turned into a roaring laugh. "Those fire nation bastards won't know what's coming!"

*****Line break***Line break**Line break*****

**A.N.** Ack! I wanted to keep writing this one but it's so long already…murr.

To BlueLion: I know…he's just such a good villain!

To Ummmm: Sorry you feel that way no need to be rude….

To Lithriel23: I have a plan….muahahaha.

To the Moon our Witness: xD I love your reviews!

To Kat-Tastrophe: You make me giggle

To heros bane, TheRealTayler13, and starwarrior221: Thank you! :D


	14. Chapter 14

_And it's been awhile_

_Since I could hold my head up high_

_And it's been awhile _

_Since I first saw you_

_And it's been awhile_

_Since I could say I loved myself as well_

_**-Staind, It's been awhile**_

"I do not know, my nephew." Iroh peered over the railing. "We were meant to live on the ground, not like hogmonkeys in a tree."

"You'll get used to it, Uncle." Zuko splashed water on his face, gasping at the coldness.

"I do not think I will ever 'get used to it.'" Iroh replied, glancing up at the low wooden ceilings and large windows that looked out over treetops, far above the distant ground. "This place was not made for a man of my size."

"You'll be fine. I have to go." Zuko tugged on his short-fingered gloves and swung out on the rope that served as an alternative to the sling that ran up and down the treetop village. He slid down, slowing himself at the end to drop four feet to the ground, landing easily on his feet.

He and his Uncle had been moved into a treehouse two weeks ago, when Sokka's hundred water benders had filled up all the available tents. Spacing was so crowded that he and his Uncle shared the wooden room, much to his dismay. They were about in the middle of one of the largest ironwoods in the camp with neighbors above and below. Romjak's own home was at the top of their tree, with Chi Lin's just below. Their room was large enough for their two beds, a small sitting area and a wash table, but Iroh's considerable size made it feel much smaller, especially when Kaya and Katara and Sokka and Suki and Romjak and Chi Lin and Akiak and Kamol and Moswren visited. Zuko didn't know why his room had become the unofficial meeting place, but it annoyed him. Kamol and Sokka always sat on his bed, laying their dirty boots over his sheets. Moswren and Romjak could barely fit into the room standing up, let alone together at the same time. Thankfully, the small ring of patio that lay outside the enclosed room allowed them to spread out but still hear each other. Moswren and Romjak were especially audible, and could be deafening in a small room.

Zuko ached for Katara. They hadn't been able to spend the night together since the room assignment, though his Uncle said he wouldn't mind if Zuko spent the night elsewhere. Zuko wouldn't mind that either: his Uncle sounded even more like a platypus-bear with walls around him. But Katara had been kept busy by the newcomers: organizing water bending lessons, healing wounds, catching up with people she knew, and helping to make sure everyone was settled satisfactorily. Kaya had stayed with him and Iroh a couple nights, burrowed into a pile of blankets on Zuko's bed while he slept on the couch. Every morning she stayed he woke with her curled up beside him and had to endure his Uncle's cooing for the rest of the day. The older man was completely enraptured with the young girl and the two of them had become close. He was teaching her how to play Pai Sho and how to make tea, along with her meditation lessons.

Zuko hadn't had a chance to start teaching her fire bending, as much as he'd like to, and had delegated the task to his Uncle. He could tell that the lessons were helping with her control: the small fireballs she conjured were already cleaner, more precise, and they could practice in the secret she required in his room. But the meditation had also opened up something in her: whenever she tried to create a breeze, a wild wind would tear through their room setting everything on its end. She would apologize and help clean up, do her best not to cry from disappointment, and agree to just one more cookie before she terrified Iroh by leaping from the platform to snag the rope and swing down to safety. Zuko enjoyed her company, but sorely missed Katara. He hoped she felt the same.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"I'm dying, Suki."

The Kyoshi warrior giggled. She and Katara were sitting together by the river in a rare break between their respective training sessions. Katara had finished her first session of the day minutes ago and had seen Suki sitting alone by the river. The other woman was having trouble finding her place. She was too well trained to need lessons, but didn't think she was ready to instruct anyone else just yet. She had been helping Chi Lin schedule the camp matches but it wasn't really enough.

Katara flung herself backwards on the grassy bank, her feet trailing in the water. Suki reclined beside her, her eyes on the colorful fish swimming past their toes. "I miss him."

"You see him all the time." Suki pointed out. "You saw him this morning at breakfast."

"It's not the same as _touching_ him." Katara groaned. "You're so lucky you and Sokka got a room together."

Suki grimaced. "Sure." They both laughed. Zuko wasn't the only one with a noisy roommate.

Sokka was viewed as the leader of the water benders, despite his protests that they weren't _his_ water benders. Most of the camp, when talking about them as a whole, called them Sokka's people. They came to him with problems which he passed on to Romjak and paid attention to until there was a resolution. He was well liked and trusted in the camp, not just among his people. He and Kamol were fast friends, sharing the same harebrained sense of humor and love of all things meat. Suki had mostly been keeping to herself and the woman she had been in prison with, though she and Chi Lin got along well when they worked together.

Katara kicked her feet, splashing in the water. "I feel like I'm missing a part of myself." She murmured, making Suki have to lean closer to hear. "Like I found it, and now it's missing again."

"It's only been a couple weeks." Suki said, thinking back on her imprisonment.

"I'm sorry, Suki." Katara sat up to look guiltily at her friend. "I'm being insensitive."

"You're fine." Suki smiled at her. "We're all fine now. Why can't he stay with you at night?"

Katara shrugged, casting her eyes to the side. "Mostly because of Kaya. I love sleeping next to him, and _just_ sleeping," she mock-glared at Suki's giggle. "But sometimes it's not enough." She sighed. "And I'm just so busy; all I want to do is sleep."

"I'm sure he understands that." Suki said. "You know, Sokka and I could always watch Kaya. Sokka really wants to get to know her better."

Katara chuckled. "That really wasn't the best first impression, was it?"

"No." Suki shook her head. "Just as bad as my first impression of Sokka. And Zuko, actually."

Katara grimaced. "Yeah…not the best group for first impressions our men."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

When Zuko had ducked the sixth out of control fire ball in a row, coming close enough to singe the ends of his hair, he deemed practice over for the day and dismissed his students. There were only ten of them in the entire village that were capable of and interested in learning combative fire bending, but Zuko was pleased with the size. Moswren was swamped with over three hundred earth benders, most of whom hadn't had much formal training. But, as he wasn't the only master Earthbender in the camp, he at least had some help.

The most recent refugee group that had come only two days ago was made up of mostly earth benders fleeing a Fire Nation raid. They had brought with them tales of earth benders disappearing in the night, being rounded up and shipped off in the day, and killed for any slight transgression. They also had started spreading stories of a powerful earth bender who had sprung up that was now leading the resistance in the North. The entire camp was alive with the story, and speculation ran wild as to who the bender could be.

Zuko had shrugged it off. There were always stories coming in about the next most powerful bender. This one would circulate and go away as fast as the last ones and nothing would have changed. He paused from his post-bending stretches to peer up at the sky, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. He had been feeling strangely anxious the past couple days, even though the Long Eclipse was still more than three months away, falling towards the end of summer. He knew his Uncle was right that then was the time to strike against his father, but he didn't think the village would be ready. Not for a full scale invasion. He sighed, stretching his arms with one bent over his head. He didn't know if _he'd _be ready.

From the corner of his good eye he glimpsed a small scrap of blue, moving from the river towards the village. Katara was alone and hadn't noticed him yet. A crooked smile spread across his face and he slipped into the shadows of the trees to sneak around behind her. She was walking slowly, her face serious, deep in thought. It was easy for Zuko to snatch her from behind and whirl her behind the tree line before anyone noticed. He pulled her against him, his back against a large tree. His hand slowly uncovered her mouth, sliding over to brush her hair behind her ear.

For a moment she was too stunned to react, but then she began hitting him.

"Ow!" He tried his best not to laugh as she whacked his head and chest with her sharp palms. "Stop, Katara."

"What are you…? I have to get ready for-"

"For bending, I know." The tips of his fingers trailed along her face, his other hand tight against the small of her back. The deep forest hid them completely from passerby, locking them in deep shadows. "I just missed you."

She smiled sadly at him, guilt and understanding in her eyes. "I've missed you too. I'm sorry I've been so busy. With all the changes Romjak is making, and Sokka's people, and being a master to new water benders…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "I feel like I never get a moment to myself."

"I know the feeling." Zuko said. "But is it really a moment by yourself you want?" His voice dipped into a low, husky tone, and he felt Katara squirm against him. He cupped a hand around the back of her neck, wanting to feel the brush of his skin against hers, attain that feeling of oneness that came from being with her.

She seemed to sense the same thing as, without a word, she stepped forward to press against him, placing her legs between his. Zuko released a breath as their stomachs and chests melted together, feeling her sink into him. His fingers went behind her ears, thumbs tilting her chin up to brush against his cheek as he cradled her skull in his hands. She closed her eyes, brushing her lips against his chin, her fingers trailing spiral patterns on his back. With a growl of impatience, he captured her mouth with his, dropping his hands to her rear and hiking her up, spinning them so her back landed against the tree. She grunted against his mouth as she scooted herself up to balance her hips on his. Her hands disappeared into his hair as he deepened the kiss, stroking her tongue with his. She felt him growing hard against her and she dragged her hands down his neck, scratching her nails gently against the soft skin of his neck.

She pushed against his chest. "Zuko." She murmured into his mouth. He ignored her, knowing what she was going to say. He wasn't ready yet. "Zuko, I have…to go."

He growled against her lips, giving her a long, lingering kiss, leaving her breathless as he pulled back. "Fine."

"Suki," She panted and he cocked his eyebrow. "Suki said she and Sokka can watch Kaya."

Zuko smirked. "To be continued." His voice was hoarse, promising what his words couldn't. She shuddered as he let her down, placing a soft kiss on her shoulder as he did. She embraced him, feeling his warmth through layers of clothing. He was always so warm. He hugged her back, holding her tight, burying his nose in her hair and taking comfort in its familiar scent.

"I'll see you tonight." He rasped, letting her go.

She nodded, turning reluctantly from him to stride through the short length of forest. He waited until she was out of sight before leaving the forest himself. He set off in search of his Uncle, hoping to talk to him about the eclipse.

He found Iroh sitting with Romjak and Chi Lin around a fat stew pot set over a shallow fire, eating their midday meal. All three men nodded to Zuko as he joined them, helping himself to a bowl of the simmering stew. His Uncle frowned and leaned close to him.

"Nephew, you have a leaf in your hair." He pulled it out. "Actually you have several."

"There are leaves everywhere." Zuko said, ruffling his fingers through his hair.

"Mhm." His Uncle nodded acquiescence. "But not usually in _your_ hair."

Zuko glared at him and continued eating. His Uncle chuckled.

Romjak harrumphed. "Damned leaves do get everywhere. Found one in my britches this morning. What was it you wanted to speak with us about, Mushi?"

Zuko looked at his Uncle in surprise. He hadn't realized this wasn't a coincidental meeting. Iroh cleared his throat. "My nephew and I have become aware of the approach of a Long Eclipse." Romjak and Chi Lin paused, stew dripping from their spoons. "It will not be upon us until the end of summer, but we feel this would be a great opportunity to make the first strike against the Fire Nation." Zuko watched as the other men exchanged looks. He could almost see the plans forming in their minds. Iroh continued. "I realize that we have only been training for two weeks in the various arts of combat, but this village is expanding at a tremendous rate. We will soon not be able to support them all." Romjak nodded. Their supplies were being depleted faster than he liked, not to mention the cramped conditions. "I propose that instead of moving the village, we leave a small contingent here to defend any who do not wish to fight while our warriors begin a series of guerilla attacks against towns occupied by the Fire Nation."

Romjak, Chi Lin, and Zuko leaned back on their seats. This was something they hadn't considered. Zuko saw the merit in it: it would destabilize the Fire Nation's control over the Earth Kingdom and would bring others rallying to their cause. He saw his Uncle's plan unfold further in his own mind. Not only towns would be targets, but also supply lines, messenger hawks, barracks, anything that kept the Fire Nation able to maintain attacks.

"Who do you have in mind to lead this…siege?" Chi Lin asked, his whispering voice curious. Romjak looked equally interested.

"My nephew, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation."

Zuko knew Romjak was aware of his identity, but he kept a wary eye on Chi Lin, unsure of his leanings. The other man's face displayed no emotion, just thoughtfulness. Iroh looked surprised.

"How long have you known?" He asked them both.

"Since you got here." They both answered. They turned to frown at each other.

"When I was a young boy in the Fire Nation," Chi Lin inclined his head towards Zuko. "my mother took a position in the Fire Palace, serving as a healer's assistant. One day, she took me along. It was the day your father challenged you to an Agni Kai." Iroh sucked his breath in as a dark look crossed Zuko's face. He took his nephew's bowl of stew from him as it began to boil. "We watched as the leader of our nation struck down his own son in brutal cruelty. When it was done, my mother assisted the healer in bandaging your eye, though I believe you were unconscious while we were there. I remember how brave you were, despite your young age. I asked my mother why he had hit you, and she answered that you spoke up in defense of the lives of your people, but it was against what he had said. I did not understand then what the implications of what that meant. We left the Fire Nation that night and I have not returned." He took a bite of the stew. "It was several years later I saw you again, in the Earth Kingdom. You treated your crewmembers with respect, and acted in honor when confronted by Admiral Zhao." He raised his muddy eyes to Zuko's golden ones. "I believe you would make a great Fire Lord, Prince Zuko. You value the people that serve you, and consider their lives meaningful, unlike many other members of your family."

Zuko sat dumbfounded, his fists curled into tight balls on his knees. While he had always remembered his identity, he had been living as Lee the wanderer for close to seven years. To have everything dredged up at once, and by someone who was barely not a stranger, was creating a storm inside him. He nodded his head in acknowledgement of Chi Lin's words. It seemed enough for the other man, who let a small, rare smile cross his face as he resumed eating.

Romjak rubbed the space between his eyes, furrowing his brow. "That's quite a story." Chi Lin ignored him. Romjak heaved a great sigh. "That would make you Prince Iroh, the Dragon of the West."

"Which you knew already as well." Iroh accused.

Romjak nodded. "I did." Iroh harrumphed. Zuko knew his love of dramatics had not been satisfied. "I agree with your plan. But," Zuko narrowed his eyes, wondering if the headsman had caught something he hadn't. "I don't think a single general can pull this off."

"I agree." They all turned to look at Zuko. He was staring into the fire. "The Fire Nation's grip is too deep for just one large army moving as a unit to loosen by striking covertly." He looked around at them. "We need to be in all places at once, striking everywhere, removing them from the inside out." He blew steam out of his nostrils. "Someone very wise once told me, a true Fire Lord serves his people, not the other way around." His Uncle beamed beside him. Something had sunk in. Zuko straightened to look them each in the eye. "I will take the throne from my father, and restore balance to the world. I would ask that you stand with me."

Romjak smiled a great lopsided grin. "Didn't you hear us the other night, boy?" Zuko rankled at the word 'boy.' "We already stand with you."

"You have heard my opinion." Chi Lin added. "I will stand by you."

"As will I." Iroh said, pride swelling within him at the looks the other men were giving Zuko. They already believed in him. He was glad the rest of the world was catching on.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Zuko stalked through the woods, looking for an open area, needing to blow off steam. He didn't know why, but Chi Lin's story had poked the smoldering embers of his hatred for his father. If he didn't let out some extra energy, he was going to explode. Too many thoughts, memories whirled through his head: he needed to regain control. Control came from bending, from harnessing the wild side of himself.

A quarter mile down river he found a deep three-sided quarry, lined with smooth tiered rock walls and a slanted bottom. He jumped down from tier to tier until he reached the bottom, looking around. The pit was sandy at the bottom, the open side leading out to the pebbled river bank. He assumed, from the scattered boulders and dents, that this was where the Earthbenders trained. It was large enough to hold nearly fifty people, leaving them enough room to practice.

Zuko stood in the center of the quarry and assumed the 'rest' stance of the first form of fire bending, blowing steam from his nostrils. He flowed through the forms, reveling in the feeling of fire exploding from his hands, the feel of control over such an unpredictable force. A smirk crossed his face as he shot fire high into the sky from both fists, the feeling inside him one only another bender could understand: it was like seeing your soul.

The smirk faded instantly as a ball of water burst against the back of his head. He turned with a snarl, fists lit, to see Katara standing on one of the tiered rock steps on the side of the quarry wall. The fire in his grasp evaporated as he stared up at her. She was grinning down at him as she sent another stream of water straight for his head. Zuko ducked, only to have it rebound and hit him in the back of the head. He glared at her and shook his head, feeling the drops of water fly from his hair. He looked up to see Katara leap from the lowest tier to join him on the ground, her hands raised in a water form. Her eyebrows were cocked in an invitation, and she beckoned to him with her outstretched hand.

"I'll know if you hold back." She said, her voice a friendly challenge.

He snorted and smiled a half smile back at her, raising his own hands. She knew what he needed: a challenge, a fight. The second best way she could help him blow off steam, he thought. They circled each other, alternating the high ground. Zuko was at the highest point of the slanted base, facing Katara who stood with her back to the open wall of the quarry. He charged down the slope, igniting flaming daggers as he ran. Katara met him, striking back with a hail of icy spikes. Zuko flamed them into bolts of steam, countering with a slither of fire in her direction. He noticed her falter, her wrist turn the wrong way, her eyes widen, and he diverted it, just missing her face. He was about to stop, make sure she was okay, but instead she flung a slice of water straight towards him, a razor-sharp edge of ice along its edge. He flipped, skimming over it. He landed on his feet, shooting short bursts of flame at her in quick succession. Katara wove a slide of slick ice on the ground and went skimming over the thin sheet closer to him, gaining the high ground. She rained hard balls of ice towards him, her loose hair flying in every direction. He countered with bursts of flame from his feet, incinerating the slide.

As he moved, it felt less like sparring and more like dancing. Their movements felt synced, choreographed, anticipated by the other through a connection neither of them understood yet. He smirked as she flung tentacles of grasping water at him: he was glad to see she hadn't lost her imagination.

From the corner of the dim vision his ruined eye allowed him he saw movement. He ducked Katara's attack and glanced up to see lines of people sitting on the edge of the quarry with more standing behind them. He groaned inwardly, he always hated audiences, and sent a stream of fire in Katara's direction. She landed a blow with a jet of water to his shoulder, knocking him backwards. He sprung to his feet, dodging her follow up blows. He flipped to stand on his hands and sent a series of roundhouse kick flames towards her. She sent up a shield of ice, catching his flames, throwing the melted water right back at him. He lunged sideways but the water followed, drenching him. He steamed his clothes dry, charging at her. They clashed, sending quick bursts of their elements at the other from behind each other's backs, spinning in a circle back to back. His hand grasped her wrist as hers grasped his. They faced each other, an ice dagger at Zuko's throat, a controlled blue flame at Katara's. They panted into each other's faces, blood singing through their veins.

Katara broke first, her smile stretching from ear to ear. She let her dagger melt, dripping over his skin. He extinguished his flame, matching her smile. She flung her arms around him, oblivious to their observers. He clasped her back, lifting her off her feet to twirl her in a circle. She laughed as he set her back on her feet, their faces less than an inch apart. He wanted to grab her, kiss her, tell her she was amazing, beautiful, a warrior.

But the cheers of the crowd echoed through the quarry and he doubted she would hear him. But he stroked the side of her face with his palm and she brushed a kiss against it, sending small shocks through him. She stepped back from him, keeping her arm around his waist. She waved to the crowd and the cheers increased. Zuko rolled his eyes.

Slowly the noise from their audience died down to one last clap. It was a slow, loud beat, making the hairs on the back of Zuko's neck bristle. Katara let her arm fall, moving infinitesimally closer to him. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see who was still clapping. All the watchers on the ledge were looking around, trying to identify the source. Zuko tensed and felt Katara grip his wrist tightly as a lone, cloaked figure wove through the crowd above him to stand on the ledge of the quarry, clapping slowly.

"I didn't realize you'd be welcoming me with such…gusto."

Zuko turned sideways to angle himself for attack, Katara mirroring him, her back to his. The same jarring sense of choreographed sameness struck Zuko for a split second.

"I can't say you're a welcome sight, Prince Zuko," Zuko's blood blazed through his veins. He felt Katara brace herself beside him, letting out a snarl. "But the girl…" The cloaked figure lowered his black hood. The craggy, scarred, sneering face of Commander Zhao stared down at the pair of benders as red armored figures replaced the villagers on the quarry ledge. "…is always a pleasure to see."

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

**A.N. **Uh oh…

To Kat-Tastrophe: You do you do! :D And thank you! Sokka has always been kind of tough for me to balance; not too silly but definitely not serious.

To Guest and Guest: Thank you!

To Guest: Toph was captured early by the bounty hunters hired by her father. Her fate now? Uncertain… Hmmmm ;) Appa and Momo fled after Aang's death and haven't been seen since. Or have they? Hmmmm….


	15. Chapter 15

_Into the night_

_Desperate and broken_

_The sound of a fight_

_Father has spoken_

_**-30 Seconds to Mars, 'Kings and Queens'**_

…_**.2 months ago….**_

"Are you sure this is the path you want to take, my Lord?" Zhao looked over Ozai's plans, his maps, and still could not see the point.

"It's not for you to question my orders, Zhao." Ozai poured him another glass of firewhiskey. "Only to carry them out."

"Of course, my Lord." Zhao sat back in his chair, sipping the strong liquor. He had been reluctantly called out of retirement from a cushy job as Governor of Azulan, formerly Omashu, for yet another of Ozai's wild hunches. Granted, the last one had been two years ago and had been correct: they had ousted the renegade King Kuei from his hidey hole of five years and executed him in front of his people. It had been a great victory for both Zhao and the Fire Nation, but the now-Commander, _former_ Governor, was worried about his King. The stress of the rebellion in the North was getting to him, as well as the patrol disappearances in the East. More than twelve had never returned from that area. Zhao knew he wasn't getting any younger. Surely a younger general could handle burning down one forest. "You can't even be sure the girl is there."

"She attacked me, Zhao, and got away with it." The Phoenix King hissed, slamming his goblet on the table. "She needs to die, and I will be the one who kills her."

"Just because the escaped earth and water benders were both tracked into that forest doesn't mean-"

"You've read the reports." Ozai barked. "Sixteen patrols gone after going to that forest only to be found dead elsewhere, their weapons missing, debris washing up downstream, smoke over the tree tops, escaped prisoners disappearing without a trace into that dense thicket. They could be hiding an army in there and we'd never know." Ozai smiled over his goblet at Zhao. It was a cruel smile, full of cunning. "She's the daughter of a Chief. You or I might consider that primitive, but to the primeval people they are, it's a title as worthy as mine." He smirked at the other man. "Her freedom puts ideas in their minds. I want to be the one to cut the little princess' head off and watch it roll down my steps. It will serve to further demoralize the tribesman we have here, as well as the resistance in the North."

Zhao, from his experience, knew you could only push a people so far before they pushed back. He believed Ozai was dangerously treading that line, especially when the rebels in the North had rallied yet again around yet another powerful earthbender. This one seemed to be lasting longer than the others already. Chopping the head off of a pretty young girl might just ignite the spark they couldn't put out. But she wasn't a young girl anymore, Zhao thought. He was used to thinking of the Phoenix King's girl as just that: the _girl_ he had captured. But it had been seven years. She would be a young woman if she was still alive somewhere. Perhaps she was married, had children. Zhao wondered idly if the Phoenix King would want to chop their heads off as well.

Zhao sighed. "Very well, my Lord. When do you wish us to depart?"

"As soon as possible, Commander." Ozai took a long draught from his chalice. "I trust you haven't lost your edge? I don't want just any foot soldier dismembering the girl. I want her alive."

"Not at all, my Lord." Zhao stood and bowed to his King. "Please wish your daughter my best regards."

"Little minx." Ozai chuckled darkly. "She was supposed to join our meeting. I can't imagine what captured her interest more."

Zhao suspected that she was 'patrolling' with her two associates, the angry girl and the circus freak, in her father's crown city, but he didn't feel like suggesting it. He bowed from the waist again and departed, scooping the map into his hands as he left.

Back in his own quarters in the guest wing of the Palace of the Phoenix King, formerly Ba Sing Se, Zhao examined the map in more detail. The area Ozai was sending him to was deep forest, not even settled by the former Earth Kingdom, a short distance farther north from his former city of Azulan. He cursed. The trees there were ironwoods. The damned things never lit quickly. Noting a small discrepancy, he held the map closer to his face. That was interesting. A small river flowed through the forest, and it looked like there was a watershed area nestled in the thickest part of the ironwoods. A cruel grin lifted the Commander's lips. If he was a rebel village, that's exactly where he'd put himself. He would bet money that every patrol had stumbled across the village from the East, the side that lay on his side of the river. He would be the first to forge across and take them from behind.

He knew the odds were a million in one that the water tribe girl would be there, but if he could find her he'd put an end to his King's obsessive search. And have his fun on the journey back. Zhao set the map down, already looking forward to the task ahead.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

When the fire roared down on them, Katara tried to leap through the flames to get to Zhao. Zuko grabbed her by the elbows and flung her to the side, diverting the flames as best he could. The heat licked at his face, the heat of fifty benders all streaming fire at once. Shielding Katara, he ran hunched, bent almost in half, escaping out of the open wall of the quarry. He heard Zhao's distant bellowed order of "Get them!", and the pursuing thunder of hundreds of metal boots.

Katara grabbed his hand, tearing towards the river. "Take a breath!" she screamed at him over her shoulder.

Zuko barely had time to fill his lungs before Katara was plunging them into the river. She dragged him under the slow water, striking out downriver. Zuko's nose and eyes filled with water and he cried out, releasing bubbles into the water. Katara felt the tugging on her hand and looked back to see his panicked face. She flipped up to the surface and bent the water into a large bubble with them and air inside. She used her arms to guide them downriver, Zuko clinging to her, gasping. They surfaced half a mile from the village, Katara draining the water from their clothing as they ran. There was no question of if they should escape or fight. It would always be fight. Zuko gripped her hand in his as they ran, uniting them. She turned to give him a smile and he saw the fear in her eyes. He was sure his held the same.

Katara skidded to a stop just before the outskirts of the fighting. Zuko could already smell the ironwoods burning. He looked at her impatiently and she glared back at him.

"We have to split up."

"No."

"It's not a question, Zuko." She said, stripping a length of cloth from her tunic and using it to tie her hair securely out of her face. "We're needed in different places." She grabbed his head, dragging him down to lean her forehead against his. He gripped her wrists, baring his teeth. "I'll meet you at the river when this is over."

He kissed her hard as the ash began to fall, a gentle black rain. She kissed him back feverishly, tears drawing lines down her face. They broke apart, Katara tearing off towards the village. Zuko watched her go before charging back along the river towards where the fighting was the thickest. His instincts screamed at him that this was a mistake, that he should stay with her, protect her. She could protect herself, he knew, but he could protect her better.

With a snarl and a curse, Zuko charged in front of a Fire Nation soldier as he was about to strike down on one of the villagers. Zuko blocked him, sending him flying with a burst of fire. He hauled the fallen villager to his feet and looked around, his fists lit. Chi Lin was holding his own against six soldiers, long knives in his hands, his face a mask of calm. His mud colored eyes darted from face to face, daring them to come closer. Zuko saw Sokka leading a charge of his people against a massive clump of red armored figures, colliding with them with yells and clangs of swords against metal. The water benders in his group used their bending to find chinks in the soldier's armor, sending spikes of ice through the cracks. From his other side, Zuko saw his Uncle fading deeper into the woods, his stave at the ready, women and children behind him. Zuko hoped Kaya was with him.

Zuko ran to join Sokka's people, fighting alongside Katara's brother. Sokka tossed him a sword and the two men stood back to back alongside the water tribe warriors, placing themselves in a line between the advancing soldiers and the village. Zuko knew some had already made it into the heart of the ironwoods, but more didn't have to. His sword bit into necks, sides, backs of knees. He felt the crunch of armor under the blade, the reverberation of bone against steel. One after another they fell at his feet.

A mountain of a man advanced on their line, swinging a massive battle axe at Sokka's head. The water tribe warrior ducked, slashing his sword at the knees of the soldier. The massive armored figure let out a furious bellow and chopped his axe at Sokka's face. Zuko shoved Sokka out of the way, narrowly avoiding the blow himself. The behemoth turned with a roar, swiping the axe sideways, almost taking Zuko's head off.

With a mutual nod, both men ran at the giant, Sokka letting out a battle cry. They struck simultaneously, swords biting deep into his armor. He let out a roar of rage, fists swinging wildly. An armored glove caught Zuko hard on the side of the head and he went down with a grunt. The soldier seized his opportunity and struck him in the stomach with a steel-clad boot, kicking him over and over until Sokka finally worked a sword in deep enough to draw blood. Zuko rolled out of the way as the mountainous man crashed down, striking out in every direction. Sokka struck down on his neck where his helmet had risen up, exposing the soft flesh. Blood spattered in bright red droplets across his face and he grimaced. Gross.

Zuko groaned, his stomach aching, blood trickling down his temples. He rose to his feet, retrieving his sword.

"You okay, buddy?"

"Buddy? Really?" Zuko grunted. "I'm fine."

Sokka cocked an eyebrow but didn't answer. "Maybe you should try talking to some of these guys, tell them who you are."

"Everyone in the Fire Nation knows who I am."

"Not really." Sokka said, blocking a blow from an advancing soldier. "People have forgotten you, they only remember Azula." He grunted at the force of his opponent's blows. He swung back, making the soldier leap backwards to avoid his strike. "Tell this guy! He's annoying."

Zuko frowned and stepped forward, his sword defensive. "If I die…"

"Yeah, yeah, my sister will kill me, my niece will kill me, your Uncle will kill me, everyone will kill me. I get it. Everyone loves you." Sokka snapped. "Just try."

Zuko cleared his throat and stepped in front of Sokka, barring the soldier from him. "Put your sword down, soldier."

"Fat chance, boy." There was that word 'boy' again. The soldier's voice had a metallic ring from his helmet. "Who do you think you are, giving a citizen of the Fire Nation orders?"

"I am crown Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation." Zuko flicked his head, moving his long shaggy hair aside to reveal the distinctive scar. "And as the rightful heir to the throne, I am ordering you to put your sword down."

The soldier's steps faltered. Sokka defended Zuko's back as the two Fire Nation men stared each other down. "Prince Zuko was killed. In the invasion years ago."

"Did my sister tell you that?"

"Your father. He told us all that the Avatar's forces had abducted and murdered you." The tip of the soldier's sword lowered. "Fire Lord Azula backed up the story. But if you're alive…" he dropped to his knees in front of Zuko. "you are the true Fire Lord, Lord Zuko."

"My intention is to overthrow my father and restore peace to the world." Sokka glared at him over his shoulder, but Zuko didn't want to waste time with false pretenses. "Will you stand with me on this?"

The soldier removed his helmet, revealing the face of a young man, not five years older than Zuko. "I believe that would be a welcome change from war, my Lord."

"It's just Zuko." He extended his hand and the man clasped his elbow. "If you betray me…"

"It's not in my nature, my-I mean, Zuko." The soldier bowed briefly, before turning to his fellow soldiers. "My father is one of a group of Lords that believe this war needs to end, and that the four nations need to be restored. He had me join the army, and afterwards a group of fighters that share his views. My father has suspicions that you're not dead, and that only you can bring peace back to the world, since the Avatar is gone. Many of the other men know of his suspicions, but do not believe him, though they will stand with you."

Several armored figures were hurtling towards them. Zuko's new friend fell silent, but didn't raise his blade.

"If it hurts you to strike them down, sit on the side." Zuko growled, parrying a thrust from a red armored man.

"Kozan!" The man shouted, and several heads turned. "This man is our rightful Fire Lord." Swords slowed but did not stop. "Prince Zuko lives!"

"What are you talking about you idiot? Zuko died a long time ago." A nearby soldier, presumably Kozan, shouted back as he was flung backwards by a surge of water.

"You don't want to serve Azula anymore than I do." The soldier said, raising his blade. "She's crazy. This war has to end. Zuko will bring peace, and do it honorably."

"If this is another of your daydreams, I'll slit your fucking throat." Kozan snarled, raising his hands in surrender to the water bender standing above him. "I yield." He turned and shouted: "Zorak! Motzu! Knock it off and come over here!" Several figures came jogging over, ducking swords and blasts of icy water. "Jimoz has found the real Fire Lord."

"Took him long enough." One of the new soldiers panted. He clasped vainly at his upper arm where blood made the armor shiny. "It's only been seven fucking years of hell."

Jimoz glared at them. Zuko stood still amidst the raging battle, watching as more and more soldiers approached the little group. It wasn't close to the majority of Zhao's party, but it was something. The soldiers who had joined him removed their helmets, showing a range of ages that surprised Zuko. Jimoz was the youngest, about his age. Kozan was by far the oldest, a man with graying hair and a short goatee. His face was lined with battle scars and his iron gray eyes glittered dangerously.

"You know our people." Kozan barked and the others raised their fists. "Cut down any others."

The water warriors around Sokka and Zuko looked surprised as twelve Fire Nation soldiers joined their ranks, their swords and raised fists pointed outwards in defense of the village. Sokka shot Zuko a smug look. He wondered if gaining soldiers would be worth Sokka's gloating.

The battle raged on as night fell, the burning ironwood trees the only light in the gathering gloom. Smoke obscured the waxing crescent moon, drifting peacefully over the chaos below. A handful of Fire Nation soldiers joined their companions rather than fight them, but they were the minority. Their line of water benders and soldiers had been pushed back, almost to the village.

Zuko had gained a number of scratches and cuts, but as the sun finally set behind the mountains, a bright slice of pain shot through his ribs. An advancing soldier had made a wild dash and slit his chest from arm to hip. He went down, thrust behind the line by Sokka. The Fire Nation soldiers roared and surged forward, the water benders joining them.

He could tell it wasn't good. The cut wasn't deep, but it was deep enough. His blood was soaking the brown tunic he wore, blossoming into a red rose that spread across him. He lay there, bleeding from the soldier's earlier blow to his head, his chest, a number of small grazes. He wondered if the trees would drink his blood and turn red.

A scream from the village caught his attention. It sang over the battle crashes and clangs, too high and clear for an adult to make. He swung himself around in time to see Katara, on the far edge of the clearing, shove Kaya to the ground as Zhao lunged for her. The Commander snarled and grabbed Katara by the throat instead, lifting her off of her feet. Kaya scrambled to her feet and ran back into the forest, disappearing safely into the blackness. Zuko could only watch, helplessly immobile, as Zhao slammed Katara into a tree and pulled out his sword.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"You do realize what this means." Zhao's voice was remarkably calm as he held the sharp edge against her throat. Katara gasped and choked in his grasp, trying her best to kick him. She was tired. She was bleeding. She was terrified. "If you can't figure it out I'll tell you. It means she will die." Zhao cocked his head to the side as Katara struggled harder. "I'm not stupid. Her age and heritage is apparent. I can't believe the golden son hasn't figured it out yet. Or has he?" He tightened his grip on her throat. She tore at his hands with her nails, leaving bloody lines. He didn't flinch. "Does the son know you fucked the father?" She spit in his eye, her heartbeat racing. He laughed at her, face dangerous. "Of course he doesn't. He'd kill you himself. I can feel your heart beating faster, girl. You should calm down." He squeezed her neck, making Katara's eyes roll shut, her grip on his hands faltering. He eased up and she gasped, coughing. "He wants you alive." Zhao drawled, sinking the point of his sword into the soft skin below her ear. Katara refused to cry out, though her eyes watered in pain. "He says he means to execute you publicly, but I think he has different plans for you." Zhao raked his eyes up her body. "I certainly do." Katara kicked against him, eyes wide with terror. "Maybe if you cooperate, I'll keep your fate from happening to your daughter. Ozai doesn't have to know about her. She'd be mine, of course, but she'd be alive."

Through her struggles, the meaning of Zhao's words bled through to Katara's brain. He would rape her. Then her daughter. And then she'd die. Her panicked eyes glanced over Zhao's shoulder, landing on a figure lying on the ground, his tunic stained red with dark blood. His golden eyes were staring at her in helpless despair, a hand clasped to his dripping chest.

A cold, white, calmness fell over her and she ceased struggling. Zhao leered at her, taking it as a sign of obedience. He sheathed his sword and let his hand wander across her body. Katara felt him but didn't react. Something was happening in her mind, as if frost was gathering around her eyes like it would on a window pane. She flexed her shoulders, ignoring the tight choking feeling in her throat.

Zhao knew something was wrong when her head cocked to the side and gave him an eery look, a milky whiteness obscuring the blue of her eyes. His hand went to his pommel, but it was too late. Katara's hands had formed claws, long crooked fingers gesturing in movements that reminded him of a puppet show. He couldn't move. From around him the battle raged on, none of his soldiers noticed. Zhao's teeth clenched, his eyes locked on the girl's. She was staring at him with those blank milky eyes; he could swear he could see the moon reflected within them. She lowered her hands and his lowered with them.

"Witch." He hissed, his face a mask of anger. She gave no response, only cocked her head to the other side and raised her hands.

From over fifty yards away, Zuko watched as Katara turned her hands palms up and _pulled_. Nothing happened at first, but then Zhao began to shake. Slowly, from beneath his armor, blood began to drip from between the plates. It ran together in rivulets, pooling on the ground at his feet. Zuko could see his face contort in pain, his jaw clenched hard. He watched his hands twitch and clench as drops of blood began to appear in small spots on his skin. His face bore the same treatment, blood spilling from under his hair, his pores, eyes, nose, and lips to stain him red. Katara's lip curled and she raked her hands to the side, ripping out Zhao's throat in a swift movement, the blood hovering like crimson bubbles in the air.

Zhao's body crumbled to the ground. Katara was staring at her hands, smears of Zhao's blood on her face and wrists. She turned her hands over and over, examining them fixedly. Zuko groaned, standing up painfully. She _needed_ him. He began slowly stumbling his way towards her. A soldier approached Katara, flames spurting from his heels and fist. He raised his arm to strike her; Zuko couldn't move fast enough to reach her in time.

Katara's eyes flicked up, and she spread her fingers in a sharp flick. The hanging froths of blood in the air stabbed towards him, wrapping around his neck and decapitating him, as if Katara had used razor wire. The next soldier suffered a similar fate as he was cut in half by razor-edged blood.

This wasn't Katara; it was too cruel, too merciless. Katara would have subdued them, not killed them. Zuko lurched forward until he stood beside her, seeing her milky eyes still scrutinizing her hands, droplets of blood orbiting her like dark stars. He put a hand on her shoulder, wincing at the motion. She turned to him with unnatural quickness, her blank eyes reflecting the silvery moon. She raised her clawed hands to turn them on him, but he caught them, seeing a ripple in the whiteness of her eyes. He felt the same electric tingle he always did at her touch as he pulled her hands to his chest, trying not to flinch at the touch on his wound. Katara's eyes lowered to the blood on his tunic, pressing her hand harder to his chest. He felt his pulse beat against her finger tips and laid his hand gently on her neck, cupping her jaw. Their hearts beat the same. She looked up at him, the milkyness draining from her eyes. She hunched over, staring at the blood on her hands, the bodies on the ground. She turned from Zuko to vomit beside the tree, falling to her hands and knees.

Zuko knelt gingerly beside her, leaning back on the ironwood trunk for support. He laid a hand on her back as she cried. He was beginning to feel tired, cold, his blood still leaking out of him. He closed his eyes, hearing the shouts of soldiers coming at him. He felt Katara stand over him, shielding him. And then, nothing.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

He woke to the white canvas ceiling of a medical tent. Flickering lights shone through the walls, hurting his eyes. His head pounded as he sat up and he tensed in anticipation of pain from the slash on his chest. It didn't come. He looked down to see a clean scar, stretching from his right shoulder to his left hipbone. It was healed, pink and shiny. He ran his finger over it and winced. Still tender.

He swung his feet to the ground and tried to stand but fell back onto the bed.

"Stop that." A worn out voice said from behind him. He turned stiffly to see Katara sitting on a chair in the corner of the tent, her eyes puffy and red. She looked exhausted. Zuko watched as she stood and walked over to help him lie down again, climbing in beside him and nestling her head under her chin.

"Where's Kaya?" he croaked, folding his arm around her.

"With Iroh." She whispered, stroking his face with her fingers gently. "I thought I had lost you."

"You too." Zuko murmured. "What happened to you?"

"The moon is a harsh mistress." Katara said, eyes looking down. "I felt her inside my mind, telling me what to do. I felt the push and pull of his blood like the ocean. She showed me how it flowed through him, where the blood could come out." She shuddered. "I never thought of the body in that way before."

"She?" Zuko asked, closing his eyes. He was too tired for puzzles.

"Long story."

"Mmmm."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Six waterbenders. Twelve earthbenders. Two Firebenders. Twenty seven villagers. Zuko stood between Katara and Iroh as the names of the fallen were read. Akiak. He would never return home. Moswren. Killed defending Iroh and the children. They buried the dead according to their customs: The water tribe members were sent down river on long wooden boats. Flaming arrows were shot into the brush-packed crafts, setting them alight. Earth Kingdom citizens were returned to the earth, buried deep across the river with stone markers inscribed with their names. The Firebenders were cremated in pyres; their ashes would be scattered on the wind.

Zuko stood watching the flames of the pyre climb high against the dark, starry sky long after the rest of the village had left. Katara had gone to put Kaya to bed, saying she'd be back. Chi Lin stood a short ways off, serenely watching the flames as well. His arm hung in a sling; a soldier had barely bested him and sliced deep into his bicep muscle. Katara and her waterbenders had gotten to him in time to save the arm, but it was still stiff and sore. He had been sticking close to Zuko since the battle ended, despite his dirty looks.

He turned at the sound of footsteps. Romjak's face was turned fearsome by the firelight, the shadows highlighting the lines under his eyes and deepening the shadows around his mouth. Part of his bushy beard had been burned off, along with half an eyebrow. On anyone else's face it would have been funny. Not Romjak's. He stood beside Zuko, watching the flames.

"I think it's time," he said, his voice tired and low. "to find a new home."

Zuko dipped his head. "Where?"

Romjak sighed. "I don't know. But it's not safe here anymore. The houses are gone, half the tents are ash. If Zhao was here, the twice-be-damned King sent him." He glanced at Zuko. "It's not safe."

Zuko nodded in agreement. "My Uncle's plan?"

"With some adjustments." Romjak said. "Tomorrow, you should tell everyone."

"Why not you?"

"This is your show from now on." Romjak replied, turning to face Zuko. "I will take my people and go North, try and meet up with the resistance. Your Uncle has agreed to come with me." Zuko looked down. "You should pick your generals and start fighting."

Zuko nodded. It was happening faster than they had planned, but it was time. Time to stop hiding. To fight back.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"I have come to know many of you well, and have found you to be strong. Brave. Skilled. And hunted." Zuko forced himself to be calm as he addressed the assembled villagers from atop a large stump. Romjak had gathered them all together after breakfast, and had outlined Iroh's basic plan, leaving the big reveal to Zuko. "As Romjak said, we are no longer safe here. Many of you will go North with him to safety. But any fighter who is willing, who is tired of hiding, who is ready to fight back can come with me." He looked out over the crowd, seeing faces upturned to his. "Most of you know me as Lee. As your sword master. Or as your fire bending master. Today, I add General to that list." He took a deep breath. "I came here under an assumed identity, to protect myself and my Uncle against assassination from the Fire Lord, my father." There were rumbles and mutters from the crowd. "I Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, rightful Fire Lord by birth. I plan to overthrow my father, the Phoenix King, and my sister, the Fire Lord, and assume my rightful place as Fire Lord, and restore peace to the world." He expected to see frowns, glares. Hear shouts of anger and betrayal. None came. The faces of the villagers were expectant, triumphant, hopeful. "I ask that you stand with me, as we reclaim the world from tyranny."

Romjak, as planned, was the first to step forward. "I, Romjak of the Forest, stand with you." He looked over his shoulder to see his people's nods. "We all of the Forest stand with you."

From the assembled group of water tribesmen came a small commotion as the members conferred amongst each other. For a moment, Zuko feared they wouldn't trust him enough to go with him. But instead, a protesting Sokka was thrust forward, glaring over his shoulder as he stumbled towards Zuko. Straightening his shoulders and walking to join Romjak, he said: "I, Sokka, as the newly elected Chief of the Water Tribes, speak for us all when I say we stand with you." He smirked at Zuko. "And I stand with you. As just me."

Zuko's lips quirked up.

Kozan stepped forward from the band of twenty defector Fire Nation soldiers. "I, Kozan of the Fire Nation, Master Fire Bender, Member of the Order of the White Lotus," There were mutters and questioning looks from the villagers. Zuko saw his Uncle inspecting Kozan and his people. He glanced to Zuko and nodded. "pledge myself and my men in service of the rightful Fire Lord." He knelt.

"Stand up, Kozan." Zuko said. "I'm not that kind of Fire Lord."

The man rose with a proud smile. "I hoped that was the case."

Iroh was the next to step forward. "I, Prince Iroh of the Fire Nation, Dragon of the West, Grand Master of the White Lotus," It was Kozan's turn to size up Iroh. "stand with you, my nephew." Zuko nodded in gratitude to his Uncle. He could almost see the pride glowing from Iroh, shining in his dark gold eyes.

Chi Lin stepped forward. "I, Chi Lin of Hing Wa Island, Knife Master, stand with you." He bowed from the waist and Zuko returned the gesture.

Katara stepped forward, Kaya on her hip. "I, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, Master Water Bender, stand with you." Zuko looked at her, love and respect and ferocity shining in her eyes. He wanted her to stand by him always.

Kaya scrambled from her mother's arms to run to Zuko and grab his hand. "I, Kaya of the Forest," she dropped her voice to a whisper only he could hear. "the Avatar," She raised her voice as she continued. "promise to stand by you." For a moment, her eyes flashed blue. The Avatar spirit stood with Zuko.

Zuko looked out over the sea of faces, several standing out to him. The mother holding the hands of her children. The old man with hesitance on his face and hope in his eyes. The young woman with the blue eyes walking forward to collect her daughter and stand by him. The man who shared her eyes joining Zuko on his other side, tall and fierce. The Fire Nation man with the muddy eyes and whispering voice who smiled with half his face. The giant of a man who nodded sagely.

"Thank you." Zuko rasped, his voice carrying over the crowd. "It's time to stop hiding. We leave at dawn."

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

**A.N.:** Whoo…long one. Did you know the White Lotus was a real thing in China? Google it!

To Guest: Thank you! :D This story writes itself!

To Guest: I hope this answered your Zhao questions I can't answer your others yet…spoilers!

To Guest: Demise terrible enough? Hope so!


	16. Chapter 16

_And I don't see_

_How you could ever be_

_Anything but mine._

_**-Kenny Chesney, 'Anything But Mine'**_

Zuko sat beside the campfire with a paintbrush in his hand, putting the details on what he hoped was the last mask he would ever have to paint. He wasn't nearly as skilled as Chi Lin, who turned out to have been classically trained as a child in the fine arts. He could turn out a mask in five minutes, while Zuko was still on his first of the hour. He cursed to himself as he smudged a line, trying to cover it up. This was stupid.

The masks had been Sokka's idea, a way to throw off the Fire Nation soldiers in the villages. He had taken the idea from Zuko's Blue Spirit mask and had adapted it. The masks were light wood, all carved the same, painted with the traditional water tribe war paint. Most had carved their own masks, but Sokka had helped those who were too busy or had no artistic skill. He had explained to Zuko that he wanted to create the impression that they were an army of avenging water tribe spirits, seeking justice for the genocide of their people. He had a giant grin on his face as he explained it, excited by the reaction they could get. He had been disappointed when Zuko hadn't shared his enthusiasm. Sokka had gone on to explain that the masks and identical black outfits would confuse the soldiers when some of them were earth and fire benders, and the removal of identity would unite them. Zuko pointed out that their own troops would be confused as to who their leaders were if everyone looked the exact same. Sokka had raised a solitary finger and pulled out three unpainted masks carved identically to Zuko's, and six that were similar but not exactly the same. He explained that two of the identical masks would be given to the other two generals, and the six similar ones would go to the next highest ranking officers, two for each of the three armies. Zuko had grudgingly agreed that it was a good idea, but that there was one identical mask left over.

Sokka had looked at him like he was stupid. "That one's for Katara."

Zuko hadn't said anything, confused.

"Like she's going anywhere without you." Sokka had rolled his eyes. "You might as well present a united front." He had sighed at Zuko's frown. "Look, she won't lead her own army because she wants to stay to protect you." He talked over Zuko's interruption that he could protect himself. "But she's a good leader, and she's been in battles before." Zuko shifted guiltily. "She'll be great as your…deputy general, second in command, whatever. Especially since your army will be bigger than ours." Sokka had offered Katara's unpainted mask to Zuko, who had taken it. "You know you want her where you know you can see she's safe." Sokka had looked him in the eyes. "I know I do."

Zuko had nodded in gratitude. His mask would stay blue, for the ocean. Katara's would be white and silver for the moon. The other generals', Sokka's and Chi Lin's, would be painted red and green, respectively. Mixing up their traditional colors would create further confusion. Zuko was finishing up Katara's mask, adding the last touch of silver paint to the eery grimace. He hoped it fit Katara's face; it was a little large.

His army of three hundred and twenty had split from Romjak's villagers two days ago when they came to the Great Divide. Romjak and his Uncle had headed North with the women, children, elderly, and anyone else who didn't want to fight. A hundred warriors went with them, a mix of all nations. As they headed out, Zuko had noticed a small green blur split off and hide among the eel hounds of Zuko's militia. Zuko had pretended not to notice, allowing Kaya to tag along. He knew Katara would throw a fit, but he would rather have her under his army's protection, safe, than on the road facing unknown dangers.

Iroh had thrown his arms around Zuko to the sniggers and taunts of his generals. Zuko's face had been beet red when Iroh withdrew.

"I know people have been telling you not to trust Kozan and his people," Iroh had said to him. "That because they have betrayed one Fire Lord, they will do the same to you. But to them, and to me, you have always been the true Fire Lord, and they did not see it as betrayal, but as joining the service of the rightful heir."

Iroh's words were echoing through his head as Katara walked towards him, Kaya trailing behind her looking grumpy "Zuko?" Zuko looked up, the mask finished. "The generals want to meet, since they're leaving tomorrow."

Zuko nodded, standing to join her. He handed her the silvery mask, watching as she turned it over in her hands.

"It's beautiful." She said, awed.

"It's yours." He replied, turning to Kaya. He scooped her up, making her giggle, and set her on his shoulders. She whooped with glee, wrapping her arms around his head. He clutched her ankles, steadying her. "How does it fit?"

Katara slipped it on, tying the string tight behind her head. It was a little loose, but the black zukin she would wear under it should make it snugger. At least the eye holes were in the right place.

"You look scary, mom." Kaya said. Katara pulled the mask off and smiled.

"Thank you, Zuko." She gave him a kiss, standing on her tiptoes so he wouldn't have to bend, and tangled their fingers together as they walked towards the meeting tent.

"Gross." Kaya muttered from atop Zuko's shoulders. Zuko chuckled. "Do I get a mask?"

"Children who don't listen don't get anything." Katara grumbled. "You're lucky we didn't chase Iroh down and strap you to him."

Kaya mumbled grumpily on Zuko's shoulders. Zuko decided not to get in the middle. The sun hung low in the sky; it would be dark soon.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

The tent was large and noisy when Zuko and Katara walked in. Kaya scrambled down from Zuko's shoulders and ran to stand next to Chi Lin at the head of the makeshift table that took up the majority of the large tent. Zuko pressed through the throng to stand beside Chi Lin, Katara and Sokka trailing behind him. At his approach, most of the ruckus died down. Zuko looked up, and noticed that fire nation stood among earth nation who stood among water tribe. The nations mixed together in front of him: his vision of the future.

"Good evening." Zuko said. A murmur of returns. "Tomorrow, Sokka takes seventy five warriors and heads South to begin siege on Omashu." Sokka nodded. "Chi Lin takes eighty, and heads East to begin liberating the small villages on the coast. He will meet Sokka in Omashu." Chi Lin gave a single curt nod. Zuko noted that he was still upset. "I will take the remaining one hundred and seventy five and travel across the Serpent's Pass to begin siege in the North. I hope to meet up with the resistance, and send reinforcements back as soon as possible." He turned to Chi Lin. "Have you chosen your command?"

"Yes." Chi Lin nodded, beckoning. "I will take Kozan and Hohots as my lieutenants." The two men approached to stand by him, Kozan looking stately compared to the younger man. Hohots was one of the watertribe men of Sokka's People and a phenomenal water bender.

"Suki and Bae are mine." Sokka said. Suki already stood beside him as Bae walked forward grinning. He had been Moswren's prodigy, and was regarded equal in skill to his former master. Jimoz would be going with them as well.

Zuko nodded. For his own, he had chosen Motzu and Denali. Motzu, one of the first Firebenders to join him, was a younger man and had been Kozan's second in their secret group in the army. Denali was second in command of Sokka's People; only Katara had ever bested him in sparring. Katara would be as Sokka had suggested: second only to Zuko in command of the army and his successor if the worst were to happen. Kaya would be coming with them, under the watchful eye of her mother.

"Each command will have several eel hounds, supplies, and healers." Zuko said to the nods of his fellows. "We have two messenger hawks, thanks to Zorak." The young man beamed, a hawk balanced on each shoulder. "Chi Lin and Sokka will each take one. Make sure to write in the water tribe language. We think it's the least able to be read if they're intercepted." More nods. "Hopefully, any water tribe member that is forced to read it will lie." Sokka and Katara glanced at each other. It was reminder of their father, trapped in the capital. "Are there any concerns?" He was met with silence. They all knew what the morning would bring, what the risks were. It was up to each general to design their attack strategies, based on what they found at their destinations. "We leave at dawn. Tell your men."

The meeting broke up, lieutenants walking together and raising hands to Zuko as they left. Kaya, Katara, Sokka, and Suki bunched together near the tent entrance to talk. It could be a long time before they saw each other again. Zuko knew it hurt Katara to let them leave so soon after they had returned to her. He started in her direction, but Chi Lin's voice held him back.

"You know I do not like this." Zuko turned to him. The other man's voice was soft, his murky eyes fixed on the map. "I would rather stay." He looked at Zuko. "To protect her."

"I know." Zuko murmured. "But I don't trust anyone else to lead your army."

Chi Lin nodded, letting out what Zuko, on another man, would swear was a huff. "I have been protecting her for seven years. I know it is your job now," He gave Zuko a half smile. "but I feel I am abandoning her."

"Is there anyone else who can do what you do?" Zuko asked. "Anyone else who has had the training, has the skill, or the dedication you do?"

"No." Chi Lin answered simply.

"Until this war is won, I need you as my general." Zuko said, turning to face Chi Lin. He understood Chi Lin's reluctance, his loyalty to Katara. "If you can find a replacement, I would welcome your skills in the North."

"I will keep my eyes open." Chi Lin offered his hand to Zuko, who clasped his forearm. "And bring honor to my rank while I do."

"That's all I can ask." Zuko watched after him as he left, nodding to Katara on his way out. Katara gathered Kaya in her arms and walked with Sokka and Suki to stand beside Zuko.

"This feels familiar." Katara murmured.

"Sort of." Sokka agreed. "Team Avatar, version two!"

"It's more like Team Zuko now." Suki pointed out. "The Avatar's gone."

Zuko's eyes shot to Kaya's. She glanced at him, then down. Sokka noticed and frowned.

"Either way." Katara said. She looked at the ground. "I wish Toph was here."

Sokka put an arm around her. "Yeah." His face turned thoughtful. "I wonder what she'd look like now."

Suki whacked him on the arm. "Is that really important?"

"I'm just curious, woman!"

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Their evening meal was quiet that night. The assigned armies sat mingled together, saying goodbye for what could be the last time. Earth kingdom sat mingled with fire nation and water tribe, all enjoying the same meals, the same fires, the same company. Katara, Sokka, and Suki had been bunched together again, swapping stories from years before. Several of Zuko's former students sat crowded around them, entranced by adventures. Peals of laughter would echo across the campsite, making many men smile or shake their heads. Katara had left them a short while ago, exhausted from the long day.

Zuko sat between Kozan and Kaya at another fire, the latter slumping lower and lower with the sun. He finally picked her up when her nose hit her plate. Kozan stood with him.

"Are you her father?" he asked. "With your lady?"

"No." Zuko replied quietly. His lady…hmmm. "I don't know whose she is."

"Well, you do great with her." Kozan walked with him towards the tents. "Like a real father." His gruffly spoken words made Zuko feel warm inside. "When you have your own, it's even better."

"You have children?" Zuko asked, stopping in front of his tent.

"Three, back in the Fire Nation." Kozan said. "Two girls, one boy. Miss them every day."

"Are they safe?"

"They're with my father. So, in a way."

Zuko smirked. He wished he knew the feeling. No child of his would ever be safe around his own father. Kozan nodded to Zuko and continued on to his own tent, arms clasped behind his back.

Zuko stood watching after him for a heartbeat before pushing aside the flaps of his tent. He walked in to find Katara undressing for the night, pulling her shirt up over her head. She turned and smiled when she saw him with a sleeping Kaya, holding the cloth to her chest. She turned, pulling out a sleeveless tunic to sleep in. As she turned, he saw her back. The burn scars.

"Katara…" It had always been dark. She had faced away. He hadn't seen them. She turned to him, pulling the sleep tunic over her head, covering them. "…your back."

How many times had he seen those scars. On maids, servant girls, kitchen girls…his father had always enjoyed marking his conquests. But none had been the size of Katara's. They had been small, less than the size of a palm, hidden under robes even in front of each other. He had seen their shamed eyes when they slipped from his father's rooms, seen him watching and looked away, tugging their robes up just in case the marks showed. They were always the same: a large circle for the first time, smaller circles that formed spokes of a sun pattern for each time after. Some, like Zuko's nurse when he was a child, flaunted the marks. She left her shoulders bared so everyone could see them. But most hadn't been there by choice.

Katara's back had a large circle, the size of a hand, in the center of her spine. The spokes of the sun reached almost past her ribs and up to her shoulders. They were faded, shiny and pink. But he had seen them.

Kaya's eyes.

"Zuko?" Katara stood and started walking to him. Zuko strode past her and laid Kaya down gently in the bedroll. He grabbed Katara by the wrist and tramped back out, ignoring her protests that she was only half dressed. He pulled the first soldier he saw aside and told him to watch the tent. The soldier nodded and stood beside the flaps as Zuko led Katara from camp.

They walked together into the woods, Zuko slipping his grip down to grasp her hand. He stopped once the camp was out of sight and turned to her. Her face was confused and annoyed. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked at him expectantly.

"Why'd you drag me out here?"

"Katara…" How was he even supposed to start? "Your back…I…I've seen those scars before."

Katara's eyes widened, became panicked. She looked away from him, hugging her arms closer to her body.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Zuko asked, stepping closer to her but she backed up. "Why couldn't you trust me with this? Me?"

"What was I supposed to say?" Katara cried, tears springing in her eyes. "How was I supposed to tell you that Kaya thinks you're her father because you look so much like her, because you _**have**__ the same_ father?" She covered her mouth to keep the sobs in.

"Does he know?"

She shook her head. "I…I escaped before I even knew."

Zuko took a breath. "Who knows?"

"Sokka. That's all." She sniffed, the tears threatening to spill. "He guessed when…when we had talked when he got here."

"So you could tell him, but not me?" Zuko shouted.

"He's my brother!" Katara screamed. Zuko turned away, frustrated. "He figured it out! I didn't want him to know either!"

"Ever?" Zuko whirled back around. "We were all just supposed to guess? Assume it was some random fire nation man?"

"Yes!" She shouted, glaring at him. "She's not safe if everyone knows! He'd have her killed!"

"No." Zuko said, his voice hard. "He'd want to control her. Use her. Make her like Azula."

"I'd never let that happen." Katara growled. "She's _my_ daughter, Zuko. _Mine_. No one will take her from me."

Zuko walked over to her but she pushed him away. He tried again, gripping her wrists and pulling her to him. She tried to brush him away, but he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and clasped the back of her head, pulling her to him. She folded against him, burying her head in the hollow of his neck. He held her as she cried, so many emotions running through him. Betrayal, hurt, anger, grief. Sad for Katara, love for Katara. Love for Kaya, and pain if she ever found out. He kissed her forehead and she whimpered.

"I'm sorry." He kissed her again. "I'm sorry, Katara."

"Me too." She whispered. "I should have told you. I just…didn't want you to look at me, or at Kaya, and see him. See what he's done."

"Never." Zuko lifted her face to his. "How can…how can you look at me and not see him?"

"I just see you." She whispered, running a gentle hand across his scar.

"I just see you, too." He answered, and kissed her hard, trying to pour all of his feelings for her into the kiss. She responded, clinging to him. He pulled back, holding her to him. "I love you, Katara." The words didn't _feel_ like enough, couldn't describe the depth of what he felt for her.

She seemed to understand as she craned her head up to kiss his neck. "I love you too, Zuko." He saw the frustration on her face, and knew for her, the words weren't enough either. He bent down to kiss her, letting his lips linger long and sweet on hers. She smiled as they broke apart, and he wiped the last tear from her cheek.

"C'mon." He said, taking her hand. "Let's go to bed." She nodded and followed him back out of the woods.

As they lay down together, Zuko stripped off his shirt and wrapped his arms around Katara, holding her against his chest, her head pillowed on the hollow of his shoulder. Kaya lay sprawled out beside her, limbs going in every direction, her mouth hanging open with soft snores coming from her. A thought raced through his head that she got that from her Uncle, their Uncle, but he shook it off. A stronger, better, thought came then, that he was related to Kaya, through blood. She was a part of him, even if it was in an unexpected way.

"I could claim her." He murmured, making Katara stir. "She has my blood. She could be mine, for all anyone else knows."

She looked up at him with her big blue eyes. "Are you…ready for that?"

"I don't know." He looked down at her. "I'm not ready for her to be someone else's. Ever."

Katara grinned. "She picked you. She's never done that with anyone else. Chi Lin was the closest, but she dubbed him 'wrong.'" She nuzzled her head against his shoulder. "She's already yours, in her eyes."

"What about your eyes?"

"We're both yours, in my eyes." She whispered, her eyes fluttering closed. "And you're ours."

He kissed the top of her head, stroking her hair. "Yeah."

A commotion outside brought the three of them bolting straight up. A loud screeching rocketed around the camp, followed by curses and shouts. Zuko thrust the tent flaps aside, snarling. He gestured for her to stay put, and Katara lay back in the bedroll with Kaya, comfortable that Zuko could handle it.

Zuko strode out, looking around for the source of the shrieking. He saw the rest of the nearby camp looking up and saw a white blur rocketing around in circles. It launched towards him as he stepped out, hurtling close over his head. He ducked, cursing.

"Fire Lord!" Jimoz and Hohots ran up to him, their swords drawn. He shooed them away: the white blur looked vaguely familiar.

It shot towards him again, landing on his shoulder and scrabbling around his head with a burring noise. It had giant ears and a dark face, it's long ringed tail tickling his ear. It hissed at the approaching soldiers, green eyes glistening.

"Momo?" Katara's voice came from behind him. Zuko turned gingerly, not wanting the creature to scratch him. "Oh spirits! Momo!"

The flying lemur transferred his affections to Katara to the delighted squeals of Kaya. He purred as he nudged against her hair, making her laugh.

"It's leg." Jimoz said, pointing to a rolled up piece of paper tied to the lemur's leg.

Katara removed it and held it out to Zuko, preferring to stroke Momo's soft fur. It had been so long…

Zuko broke the green and gold wax seal and unfurled the tightly wrapped scroll. He read it once, and didn't understand.

"Katara, do you understand this? 'Tell Snoozles that if he steals one more berry from my favorite bush I'll have Sugar Queen freeze him. That goes for you too, Sparky.'"

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

A.N.: :D

To Guest: Thank you! Sokka's always right

To Kat-Tastrophe: Hehehehe I hope it played out well for you Team Zutara ftw!

To Guest: I wanted Zhao's death to be what he deserved, but Katara has always been a merciful person in my mind, and I could bet the spirits wanted revenge on Zhao for the north pole (even if he did technically die in the show…) Thanks!

To Guest: Thank you! We've still got a long way to go…

To Raawiyah: You literally made me wiggle in my seat from warm fuzzies. Thank you so much for your review!


	17. Chapter 17

_Into your eyes_

_Hopeless and taken_

_We stole our new lives_

_Through blood and name_

_**-30 Seconds to Mars, 'Kings and Queens'**_

Toph marched through the camp at the head of her army: two hundred and fifty strong, each with a pack on their back. Her sea foam green eyes were obscured by long black bangs, blowing in the cool night wind. The firelight bounced off of her steely armor, melded perfectly to her form. Zuko's soldiers stood as she passed, warily eyeing the young rebel commander and her stone-faced troops. They noticed she was blind, but most didn't notice her bare soles under a façade of metal boots.

Her hair was longer than Zuko remembered, or maybe it had always been that long, just tied up. It swept the middle of her back in long black sheets, glowing in the firelight. Her armor looked less solid metal and more like quicksilver, moving with her body. She's bending it, he realized. Metal bending. Amazing. She had gotten tall, standing almost at Zuko's height, willowy with muscle. Her eyes never wavered from straight ahead, her face set in a serious mask.

She stopped in front of Zuko, standing with Katara, Sokka, Chi Lin, Suki, and Kaya at the start of the tent line. Her soldiers stopped behind her with only one man stepping forward to stand beside her. This was no ragtag bunch of rebels, Zuko realized at their coordinated steps and uniforms. This was an organized, regimented force. She looked them all up and down, as they did her.

"That's an awful color on you, Sokka." She said, completely straightfaced.

"I happen to like-"

Sokka didn't get very far when Toph cracked up, her eyes squinting shut and she pointed at him. "Oh man, seven years later and I can still get you with that one, Snoozles! Priceless!" Her army relaxed behind her, cracking grins and relaxing their postures. The man at Toph's side gave a lazy smile, though his hand rested on the pommel of the knife in his sash.

Katara beamed and rushed forward to embrace the younger woman. Toph gripped her back, her face sobering a little. Zuko could see the relief, the warmth in Toph's face as she hugged her old friend.

"All right, Sugar Queen, let me go." Toph grumbled, gently pushing Katara off. Sokka approached her next, and she looked him up and down. "You really need a haircut."

"I know." He sighed as he gave her a brief, awkward hug. "Suki won't let me."

"Hi Toph." Suki smiled, coming to stand beside Sokka. "It's good to see you."

"You too." Toph said, smirking. Suki rolled her eyes and smiled, embracing the commander warmly.

Zuko felt awkward standing behind them as his former prey reunited in front of him. The last time he had been near them, they had been broken apart, torn from each other while he watched. Before that, they had only met as enemies.

Toph looked around her chattering friends at Zuko. "You sulking back there?"

Zuko frowned and walked forward. "Hi."

"You're not very articulate for a future Fire Lord, Sparky." Toph smiled crookedly. "That _is_ the plan, right?"

"At the moment." Zuko responded.

Toph looked stared blankly at him, but Zuko had the sense that she was 'looking' him up and down. "You could use a haircut too." She held her hand out and Zuko grasped it. "Well, I guess I could too. Good to be on the same side finally." She stepped back, a melancholy look on her face. "Your Uncle's not here."

It wasn't a question. "He went North with the rest of our village." Katara answered her. "Did you pass them coming here?"

"No." Toph frowned. "I would have sensed him if we had. Iroh's pretty unique."

"That's one way to put it." Zuko mumbled.

Toph chuckled. Her head whipped to the side, a frown on her face. Her blank eyes shifted between Zuko and the space behind him. "Did you know there's a child here who sounds an awful lot like you?" She glanced between Katara and Zuko. "Did you knock Katara up?" She held a hand up over Zuko's protests. "Save it, it's too late." She was grinning. "Oh man, you did! I bet your Uncle was thrilled." She started laughing. "I would have paid _so _much money to see Sokka's face!"

Fuming, Zuko looked around to see Kaya standing behind him, a discerning look on her face. Chi Lin stood farther behind her, calmly observing the newcomers.

Zuko beckoned Kaya forward and she walked forward to stand toe to toe with Toph.

"Toph, this is…" He glanced back at Katara and she nodded hesitantly. "…my daughter, Kaya." Sokka sputtered behind him, to be hushed by Suki's hand. "Kaya, this is Toph Beifong."

The tall earth bender knelt down to Kaya's eye-level. They examined each other, sea foam green meeting glinting gold.

"Your eyes are funny, like pond water." Kaya said. Katara started to admonish her, but Toph interrupted.

"They work just about as well as pond water." She said, waving a hand in front of her face. "I see with my feet."

Kaya giggled. "I know."

Toph frowned. "What?"

The girl leaned forward to whisper in her ear, much to the surprise of everyone. Toph's eyebrows shot up into her hairline and she jerked back from Kaya. "Oh." Her blind eyes turned to Zuko. "You and I are going to have to talk later, Zuko." Her voice dropped so only he could hear her. "I can tell when people lie, you know."

"It's kind of late, Toph." Katara said. "Can we save war councils for the morning?"

"Yeah." Toph said, still kneeling, facing Kaya. She stood up, her quicksilver armor not making a sound, not even a clink. "Turn out!" She roared. "Don't trample shit."

The line of soldiers behind her dispersed neatly, splitting off into groups and pulling tents and bedrolls from their packs. They mixed with Zuko's army, trading friendly greetings and jokes as they bedded down. The only soldier to stay was the man beside Toph.

"This is Min Ki." Toph said without ceremony, jerking her thumb in the main's direction. "He's my sidekick. Or maybe mascot…" She smirked. "I just call him Minky."

Zuko was impressed that the man didn't even blush at the slight. Instead his lips quirked up as he looked at Toph affectionately, his hand leaving the pommel of his blade. He offered his hand to Zuko and the two men shook, clasping each other's forearms. He was taller than Zuko with a lean wiry build and high cheekbones. His skin was almost as dark as Katara and Sokka's, with darker hair pulled back into a loose knot. His eyes were dark green, almost black, and glittered with intelligence. He was dressed simply for a second in command in loose brown and green clothing. Zuko's sharp eye caught the outlines of knives hidden in the folds of his clothing. They reminded him distantly of Mai. The thought slid through his mind easily, not lingered on.

"Nice to meet you, Fire Lord." His voice was calm, quiet, with a light drawling accent. Zuko noticed the eyes of both Katara and Suki roaming over him. He guessed some could call the man reasonably good looking. If they had to.

"Back off, girls, he's mine." Toph said. She blushed lightly, much to the bemusement of Katara and Sokka. "Not…like _that_, I'm just saying he's _my_ soldier."

"Uh huh." Katara said, smirking. She picked Kaya up and noticed Toph's eyes following her. Kaya smiled at Toph, waving at her.

Toph smiled back but didn't wave. "See you in the morning, kid."

"We have a lot to catch up on." Katara said to Toph, laying her free hand on Toph's shoulder.

The other woman touched it with her own. "I can tell."

Katara smiled and walked off with Kaya, Sokka and Suki following after saying their own goodnights.

"Zuko." Toph's voice had turned serious. "We need to talk. Now. Without our shadows." She gestured to Chi Lin, standing behind Zuko, trying to look inconspicuous.

"I don't ask him to do that." Zuko looked at Chi Lin who nodded and left in the direction Katara had taken. Min Ki took the hint as well, fading into the background but within earshot.

"He really likes you." Toph said, pointing after Chi Lin.

"I could say the same about yours." Zuko replied, waving Toph to a nearby fire. They sat beside each other, close enough to whisper without being overheard.

"Kaya told me she's the Avatar and that Aang told her about how I see." Toph said bluntly. "And I can tell that you were lying when you said you were her father. But you _sound_ like her." At Zuko's blank look she squinched her mouth to the side. "Everyone sounds different; their heartbeats, way of standing, way of breathing. It's like…"

"Seeing the resemblance." Zuko murmured, understanding.

"Sure." Toph shrugged. "Except they sound alike. She sounds like you, so she's related to you." She grimaced. "I'm scared to ask how."

"it's not for me to tell you." Zuko said, looking into the fire. "You'll have to ask Katara."

"But you claim her."

"Yeah."

She grinned. "I knew I heard love in the air! You're boinking Sweetness."

Zuko colored. "If that's how you want to put it."

"I really wish I could have seen Sokka's face!" Toph crowed. "Did he try to kill you?"

"Not exactly."

Toph chuckled to herself. "And she's the Avatar. Oh man, if you do end up marrying Katara, you're gonna have a seriously powerful family." There was something Zuko hadn't considered. If he and Katara were to marry, their children would be future heirs of the throne. And his 'illegitimate' daughter would be the Avatar. Powerful indeed. "Who else knows she's the Avatar?"

"Just me and my Uncle."

"Not even Katara, huh?" Toph sounded thoughtful. "Don't think she can handle it?"

"I don't know." Zuko frowned. "My Uncle and Kaya don't think so."

Toph shivered. "That's weird about Aang. It's like he's a ghost haunting us."

"That's what Kaya thinks she can't handle. That she won't see her anymore, just a way to talk to Aang."

"Makes sense." Toph shrugged. "She is an emotional bag of crazy sometimes." Zuko frowned. "Oh calm down, Sparky." She stood. "Dawn? Talk armies and shit?"

"Yeah." Zuko stood. "You need anything?"

Toph shook her head. "I'll be fine." She strode off without another word, and Zuko felt the rumble of her constructing a tent from the earth. He watched as Min Ki took a stance outside, his face calm. Zuko wondered how long he'd be _outside_ her stone tent.

He walked slowly back to his own tent, replaying his talk with Toph in his head. He nodded goodnight to Chi Lin, standing outside his tent, and pushed aside the flaps. He heard Chi Lin settle outside, sitting in front of the tent's opening. As he put his arm around Katara's sleeping form, lying close against her, he grumbled to himself about overprotective allies and their cock-blocking natures.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"No!" Toph shouted, shooting up from the makeshift table. Zuko was leaning over the other side, his hands clenched into fists, his jaw tight. "We're fighting for our homes, not for another tyrant to take over in place of his father!"

"I'm not a tyrant!" Zuko roared. Faces on the side of the table flashed back and forth between them. "We can do this without you if you don't want to help."

"I want to help!" Toph shouted back. "But I'm not letting you take half my troops on a suicide mission! It's stupid."

"How is it more of a suicide mission," Zuko ground out, the heat of his hands starting to leave black marks on the table. "than anything else we're doing? That you've been doing? Defying the Fire nation in _any_ way is a suicide mission."

"You want them to go into Ba Sing Se, where all benders are killed on sight!" Toph yelled, stamping her foot. The table shook. "I don't care if you and yours go, but me and mine have spent enough time in danger there."

"Never took you for a coward, Beifong." Zuko snarled.

"I never took you for a reckless sociopath." Toph bit back. "Oh, wait, yes I did. When you chased us around the world for a year!"

"That was a long time ago!"

Soldiers were starting to trickle out as the yelling continued. Katara sat dozing against Sokka's shoulder as he sharpened a knife. Suki sat on his other side, looking bored. Chi Lin and Min Ki stood together by the entrance, gazing in at the two commanders bristling at each other across the table. They seemed at ease with each other.

"Not that long, Sparky."

"Toph," Katara's weary voice brought both their heads whipping around. "just tell him what you want." They both stared at her, Toph's lips twitching. Katara rolled her eyes. "We all know you're being stubborn so you can get what you want. Just tell him so we can move on."

"You had to ruin it, Sweetness." Toph smiled crookedly. "I wanted to see if he'd beg."

"Princes don't beg." Zuko ground out.

Toph shook her bangs out of her face. "Whatever you say. I want Omashu."

"What?"

"I want Omashu. When we win. I want to name it Tophapalooza."

Zuko ran a hand over his face. "Don't they have royal families or dynasties or lines of succession or something in the Earth Kingdom?"

"You grew up as a Prince and you don't know that?"

"History hasn't really been my focus these past few years."

"Yeah, screwing Sokka's sister has been!"

"Hey!" Sokka's head shot up, glaring. "Leave us out of it."

"Please." Katara groaned in agreement with Sokka.

"Just sayin'." Toph shrugged, grinning.

"Look," Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. They were supposed to have left hours ago. "when we restore peace to the world, you can challenge whoever has claim to the throne. It's your country, not mine."

"Will you back me?"

"Fine."

"Sweet." Toph grinned, sitting back down with her arms crossed. "Alright. I have two hundred and fifty with me, and there's three hundred and fiftyish back in Ba Sing Se." She added more green colored rocks to the map in front of them. "Most are benders. How do you want to do this?"

"Sokka and Chi Lin-" Zuko stopped as Chi Lin stepped forward. "What?"

"I believe I have found my replacement." Chi Lin said, his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes shining. "Commander Bei Fong's skills as a leader far exceed my own."

Zuko glared at him. "We could have four armies."

Chi Lin shook his head.

Zuko ground his teeth.

"Zuko," a gentle hand on his arm calmed him down. He turned to meet Katara's cool blue eyes. She smiled softly at him. "maybe he's right." Zuko searched her face, trying to understand. "People will recognize Toph. She has connections and ties to the Earth Kingdom that you can never have. The name Bei Fong alone used to be powerful enough to gain access to the Earth King."

"Still would," Toph muttered. "if there was one."

Katara shot her a glance and continued. "Chi Lin is well respected here, but he would just be another Fire Nation general invading, despite the mask and what side he's on. Sokka's water tribe. You taking Ba Sing Se is right: Ozai has taken that for his stronghold. For this to turn out right, Earth must save Earth. Fire must defeat Fire."

Zuko sighed, knowing she was right and thinking she sounded like his Uncle. "Fine." Chi Lin ducked his head, avoiding Zuko's eyes. Zuko had never seen him contrite. "Go…make sure Kaya's okay." Chi Lin left, Min Ki trailing after him.

"And the shadows unite." Toph sighed. "They totally pout when they go against you."

"He's not my shadow." Zuko said, his voice raspy. The sun had barely been up for a few hours and he was already exhausted. He sat beside Katara, running a hand through his hair. "Sokka, are you willing to go East?"

"Yeah." Sokka shrugged. "Fire Nation is Fire Nation. I'll fight 'em wherever." He grinned up at Toph. "That leaves you free to reclaim Omashu."

"Tophapalooza." Toph corrected smugly.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Zuko felt like he had seen this all before. People hugging, crying, touching faces that they wouldn't see again for a very long time. Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Kaya stood together in the middle, Min Ki and Chi Lin standing together to the side, muttering. Zuko looked to his side to see Kozan approaching him.

"Fire Lord." The other man reached out to clasp Zuko's hand with his. "Good luck in the North."

"Good luck in Omashu." Zuko replied, his voice low. Toph had agreed with Chi Lin's choices of Kozan and Hohots as her lieutenants, with Min Ki as more of a bodyguard. Not that, she had hastily explained, she needed a bodyguard. It was just a good idea. "See you at the eclipse."

Kozan nodded, giving his young Fire Lord a small smile. "Looking forward to it, my Lord." He strode off, collecting his fellow officers as he went.

Toph had sent orders to her troops in the North with their destinations, instructing that they were to obey Sokka and Zuko as they would her. The generals had decided to send their extra troops back North to Zuko for the eclipse. It would be their 'big reveal' in front of the whole Fire Nation.

Zuko hesitated before walking over to the small group of his…friends? Allies? Whichever. As he approached them they fell silent, turning to him. Kaya ran to him, grabbing his leg.

"I don't want them to go." She said, her voice muffled.

He picked her up, settling her on his hip. "I know. Me neither."

"That's a lie." Toph joked. Zuko glared at her. "Oh simmer down. You know you'll miss having me."

"After only a day?"

Katara shot him a glare. "Of course we'll miss you, Toph. We've missed you for years."

Zuko sniffed.

"We'll see you again soon." Sokka clapped Toph on the shoulder. "After we kick some Fire Nation ass."

Toph grinned, her murky eyes glittering. "You wanna make a bet?"

Sokka scoffed. "I'll top you any day. Girls aren't as good at war as men."

"We'll see about that, Snoozles." She held out her hand and he grabbed it. "Someone else has to keep count for you, so you don't cheat."

"I never cheat!"

"Sir!" Bae, Sokka's second lieutenant, came walking up with Suki.

"I know, I know." Sokka sighed. He turned to his sister. "We have to go."

"I know." She smiled, but tears welled up in her eyes. "I…I just found you."

"It'll be okay." Sokka enfolded her in his arms. "We'll see each other soon."

"Toph," Katara turned to her. "I…"

Toph grabbed her in a bear hug, surprising everyone. "Take care of the kid. And your kid." Zuko glared at her. She released Katara. "And stay safe. I don't wanna hear that you rushed in and did something stupid." She narrowed her eyes. "I know how you like to play the savior."

"Are we still talking about me?" Katara asked.

"Nah. Too much effort to pretend to look at Zuko." She smirked. "Seriously though, you all stay safe."

"You too." Sokka and Zuko chorused. They looked at each other sideways.

"This is weird." Sokka said. "Being on the same side."

Zuko nodded. "We're fighting for the same thing. Always have been: to get home." He shifted Kaya on his hip, looking at her. "It's just always been from opposite sides." She traced his scar with a small, gentle finger. "Now it's the same side."

"Yeah." Toph replied. "Unreal." She sighed. "If we don't get moving we'll lose the light. I know that for you lesser creatures it's important."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Maybe I won't miss you so much."

They all laughed. Kaya reached out her arms to Sokka, giving him a hug around his neck. The look on his face was blissful as he set her down, patting her hair. "Be good for your mom."

She nodded. Katara took her hand and pulled her gently to her side. Zuko moved to stand on her other side, looking back at the three solemn faces across from them. Toph. Sokka. Suki. Older than he remembered. Taller than he remembered. Changed in ways he could never ask or imagine. As he himself had changed.

Sokka led his army out first, half of Toph's two hundred and fifty troops going with him. They began heading West, intending to take the old Pohuai Stronghold as their own. From there, they would spread North and South, freeing the villages along the coast.

Toph headed out with the remaining half of her troops, heading South towards Omashu. She knew best of them all the secret ins and outs of the city, having made frequent trips there from Gaoling. She strode out, Min Ki at her side. Her troops fell into columns behind her, their quicksilver armor glinting in the morning sun.

Katara stood between Zuko and Chi Lin, Kaya on her hip, as the armies filed by. Sokka waved until he was out of sight while Toph strode past without a sideways glance. Katara knew she wanted to look tough in front of her troops, but it still made her lip quiver.

"You're getting too big to be held." She whispered to Kaya, shifting her weight.

"I know." Kaya leaned her head against her mother's, watching the last men and women of Toph's army disappear into the treeline. "You can let me down."

Katara set her on the ground and watched her scamper away into the camp. She wrapped her empty arms around herself, tears coursing through the dust on her cheeks as she watched after the direction her brother and friend had taken.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Strong, warm arms folded around her from behind. A shaggy, black haired head rested on her shoulder as he sat down behind her. She had retreated to the small pond behind the camp, folding herself into a small ball as she watched the turtleducks swim and eat in the shallow, reedy water.

He had left Kaya with Chi Lin and set out to find her. She wasn't hard to find; she always went to the water. He could tell she was upset; she had gotten her family back only to lose them overnight. He knew it was worse than not knowing if they were alive or dead. Now that she knew, she would always wonder if they were in danger, hungry, captured. Alive.

He felt her lean back into him as he slid his knees to either side of her, providing a warm body for her to lean against. Her hands went to cover his, taking comfort in his presence. She loved how he always knew when she needed him. And when she didn't.

"There were turtleducks at the palace when I was growing up." His voice was a rumble against her back. She closed her eyes, feeling the wet clumps of her lashes brush her cheek. "My mother and I used to feed them pieces of bread. They would swim close and take it from our hands. Their beaks felt funny." Katara snorted. Zuko hugged her tighter. "They'll be okay."

"The turtleducks?"

He rolled his eyes behind her back. "Obviously."

She smiled and elbowed him in the stomach. He grunted. "Shut up."

He pulled her so into his lap so she sat sideways to him, her legs bent over his. "You going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine." She stroked his face gently with her palm. "You?"

"I'll be fine too." He kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger. She closed her eyes, leaning harder against him, her hand clutching against his neck. He felt the desire in her grip, in the sudden quickness of her heartbeat. She pulled herself up so she sat straddling his hips, facing him. her hands moved over his face, his shoulders, re-exploring him. His hands caught and held in her hair, pushing the loose strands back from her face.

She brushed her lips against his, hands curling behind his ears. He moved forward to capture her mouth with his own, kissing her gently along her lips, her jaw, her cheeks. She smiled and he smiled back, captured by her radiance in that moment. She was so beautiful, her hair turned to fire in the sunlight, blue eyes sparkling as they gazed back at him with strength and love shining from their depths.

As he laid her down in the grass, the thought crossed through his mind that he was lucky, so lucky, that she hadn't turned away from him that first day. Her hands wandered across his chest, inching lower, and all solid thought fled his mind.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Villagers raised their heads as masked black-clad figures darted across the rooftops, their footsteps as light as rain. They watched, confused, as they darted from roof to roof, moving in perfect synchrony, their movements mirroring each other. They watched until mixed forces of the Dai Li and Fire Nation soldiers knocked them aside in pursuit, yelling and charging after the black forms.

The smaller figure looked over her shoulder, panting as several Dai Li soldiers sprang onto the roof behind them. Her mask slipped, obscuring her vision and she tripped over a loose shingle, cursing. She ripped her mask off, letting her dark hair stream behind her. She caught up with her partner, following as he took a sharp turn, leaping onto a lower roof.

"Put your mask on, Katara!" Zuko shouted, glancing over his shoulder.

"I can't see with the damned thing on!" She yelled back, sending an icy stream of daggers at their pursuers. She heard one yelp and smiled darkly, hoping he had fallen.

"They can see you." Zuko mirrored her, shooting small bursting fire balls at the swarming soldiers. They dodged, but not fast enough. Half of them fell, clothing flaming, landing on the streets of Ba Sing Se. "Put it on!"

"We're almost back." Katara panted, seeing the end of the rooftops just ahead of them. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Zuko grunted, ducking a stony projectile fist. "Take my hand."

Katara clasped his gloved hand as they jumped, landing safely three stories down in a hay-piled cart. They rolled quickly, ducking to hide behind several massive rain barrels. They watched, trying to calm their breathing, as the Dai Li copied them, landing in the hay cart and rolling out, stabbing through it with sharpened stone daggers.

Zuko tapped Katara on the shoulder and they silently crept down the dark alley, shedding their masks and dark outer layers. Katara pulled off her slim pack and unceremoniously stuffed their disguises into it. Beneath their black clothes, they wore regular, though tight fitting, street clothes of green and brown. Katara's leggings had several tears in them, but it wouldn't matter in the lower tiers. No one paid much attention to peasants.

Zuko turned to Katara as she tied the pack closed, his chest calming. Her cheeks were flushed from the chase, her eyes sparkling. She tied her dark hair into a tight, Earth Kingdom knot behind her head as footsteps and voices came from the alley entrance.

"That was good." He said. He backed her into the wall, pressing his body against hers. "Really good." He leaned in to kiss her, but stopped short. "You shouldn't have taken off your mask."

Katara frowned at him, laying her hands on his shoulders and kissing him as two Dai Li agents charged past them. She cracked one eye open to make sure they were gone. Zuko had both eyes open and she poked him in the face. "It was fine. I'm not as distinctive as you are." She nudged his scar with her nose. "Can we go?

"What, you're not having fun?" Zuko grinned, moving his body closer to hers.

She rolled her eyes. "No. Doing it in an alley while they're searching for us isn't really something that puts me in the mood."

He smirked. "Yeah." He pushed off the wall, springing back from her. "Let's go."

He grabbed her hand and set out in the opposite direction the Dai Li agents had run, only to find the alley blocked.

"Well, well," A deep, low voice came from the mountain of a man blocking the way, flanked by two others. "what have we here?"

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

**A.N.:** Sorry for the late update Work has been slammed this week getting ready for a big event.

Thank you all for the reviews! :D Especially, as always, Kat-Tastrophe.


	18. Chapter 18

_Lost in the city of angels_

_Down in the comfort of strangers_

_I found myself in the fire burned hills_

_In the land of a billion lights_

_**- 30 Seconds to Mars, 'City of Angels'**_

"Seventy five," Toph grunted, pumping her fists forward, sending a surge of boulders cascading onto the head of a Fire Nation soldier. She stood still for a moment, audibly surveying her troops and the battle raging around her. They had utilized the secret tunnels under Omashu to sneak up on the Fire Nation troops stationed on its slanted walls. High Queen Bitch, as Toph had affectionately named Azula, had retreated to her father's stronghold in Ba Sing Se only a week ago, following two and a half months of siege with the long eclipse fast approaching. She had left in her wake a crumbling, defortified city, full of several hundred scrambling Fire Nation troops and thousands of angry earth kingdom citizens. Toph didn't mind the destruction she had wrecked on her way in; she had Omashu memorized down to the brick and could rebuild it in a matter of days by herself if she wished. Hearing metal footsteps behind her, she stomped her foot, encasing the soldier to his neck in rock. "Seventy six."

"Commander!" Min Ki came striding across to her, flicking his wrist absently over his shoulder to knock a soldier off his feet and staple him to the ground with rock cuffs. "How many are you up to?"

"Is that really what you came all the way over here to ask?" She jeered, putting her fists on her hips to regard him blindly. "It feels like you have something a bit more important to say."

"They've retreated to the southern levels." His drawling accent never failed to amuse her. She loved the way he lazily lingered on his r's, and how it always sounded like he was calm, even when he wasn't. She'd never, ever, _ever_ tell him, of course. Soldiers in combat didn't have time for stuff like that. "Night's falling."

Toph sighed. "You people and your silly reliance on sight." She jerked her head to the side. "Round up the prisoners and take them to the Hole." As he nodded and turned to go, she called hesitantly after him: "Good job today Minky."

He smiled at her, just her. "And you, Commander."

She wished for a day when he would call her just Toph. And then she shook it off and pushed the feeling to the back of her mind. Enough of that pansy, ninny stuff. It was for girls like Katara, who when men looked at her, they didn't see a mud-covered face, blank staring eyes, stupid long fine hair that got tangled with twigs and leaves and anything else that moved with the wind. Men saw girls like Katara and saw someone they wanted to kiss, to take to bed, to take for their own and start a family with. Men saw Toph and saw someone who could drink them under the table, kick their asses, and lead them into battle. And that was fine. She loved her reputation, the look on the faces of the enemy soldiers when they came up against the dread Commander Toph. But she hoped it wouldn't be like that forever.

"Seventy seven." She muttered to herself, slamming one last Fire Nation soldier into the ground, locking his wrists and ankles in cuffs of stone, before turning toward her huddled groups of soldiers to set up camp for the night.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"Sixty eight," Sokka panted, his sword reverberating off the armor of a Fire Nation soldier. He struck again, clipping the man on the side of his helm. The solder tottered backwards, futilely trying to clutch his hands against his ears through his helm. Sokka turned, swiping again. "Sixty nine." The soldier went down, knocked on his back from the flat of Sokka's blade to his unprotected head.

"Sokka, I don't think you're counting right." Suki gasped, landing punch after punch on the exposed torso of a marauding soldier. "You're only supposed to count the ones you take down, not just the ones you hit."

"Like Toph's counting fair." Sokka scoffed. "I bet she counts double."

Suki gave him a pouty look, hoping it conveyed that he was acting ridiculous. "So you're cheating because you're assuming that she is too."

"Exactly!" Sokka exclaiming, gesturing wildly with his sword to emphasize his point, and accidentally clocked an advancing soldier in the head, sending him tumbling to the ground. Sokka looked surprised for a moment, then pointed at the fallen soldier. "Seventy!"

Suki rolled her eyes and charged into the fray, leaping into the air to drive home a kick to a Fire Nation soldier's neck, knocking him sideways to the ground.

"That's my girl!" Sokka crowed. He looked towards the West, noting the setting sun. Turning to find Bae, his other second in command, his face serious again, and roared: "Bae, now!"

Bae, crouching off to the side with a reserve force of water and earth benders, signaled to his fighters and charged forward. Taking advantage of the fatigue of the Fire Nation troops after a long day of fighting, the full moon, and the setting sun, Bae's fighters combined their elements to create a thick, sticky mud. Sokka let out a high pierced whistle, and as one, all of his warriors leaped backwards from their opponents and retreated as far as they could. The Fire Nation soldiers stood static, confused, until the sticky mud coursed over them, directed by the earth benders. In formation, the water benders brought their arms down and breathed out, freezing the mud over the Fire Benders, locking them into living statues.

They had performed this before with similar success, but only at the previous full moon and only at dusk. Otherwise the fire benders were still powerful enough to thaw the hard, muddy ice and break it away. Now only one or two still had the strength, and they were quickly cut down by Sokka's people.

"Lock 'em up!" Sokka called out, watching his warriors grin and team up to carry the soldiers to the makeshift prison they had constructed. He knew they would encase their hands and feet in stone to prevent their bending and any escape.

Around the fire that night he stretched, grimacing at his sore muscles. This constant fighting was beginning to take a toll. He thought he'd get used to battle, but had realized that it was something he could never get used to. The death. The blood. The soreness of his hands. The ache in his legs. The tiredness that always seemed to be lurking behind his eyes except for when the sword was in his hands.

He examined the handful of cuts and scrapes he had gotten that day, running soft fingers over the stinging lines, wincing at the touch. The worst was a quick slice in the tender skin below his eye. Suki had stitched it up for him but it still hurt. He hoped it made him look tough.

Bae, Jimoz, and the other officers sat with him, finishing up their meal. Suki had gone to bed an hour ago and Sokka felt almost ready to join her. They would have to be up at dawn, ready to meet the Fire Nation. This village was almost clear. There were three more occupied villages on their route before the Western coast was free and they could join Toph in Omashu. It hadn't been easy. They had lost friends, comrades, brothers, and sisters. But apart from the high mountain towns that the Fire Nation hadn't bothered with, the west was becoming more free every day. Sokka's army had swelled with villagers and small pockets of rebels to over a thousand men. More of Jimoz's comrades from their secret society had identified him and had rallied others to their cause as well. Jimoz, Bae, and Suki each commanded their own squads, working independently of Sokka's larger force. They sniped in and out during the battles, fast and deadly; daggers to Sokka's sword.

"Let's finish up here tomorrow." Sokka said to Bae, breaking the silence and turning all heads towards him. "Leave the prisoners to the villagers. It's up to them to show mercy or not."

Bae nodded. "Works for me." He was a larger man, stacked with muscle. His shaggy dark hair hung in loose waves across his forehead, partially obscuring his green eyes. He was quick to smile and quicker with the earth he commanded. Jimoz nodded as well, his mouth full. Sokka liked him well enough, for a fire bender. He was younger than Sokka by a year and eager to please. To Sokka he looked like all fire benders with black hair, pale skin, and grey eyes. His face was a bit softer than some with rounder cheeks and wider eyes. But he was Fire Nation. Good Fire Nation yes, but still. He'd never be one of Sokka's people. A trusted ally perhaps, but that was all.

Sokka stood and waved goodnight to his people, one hand still fingering the gash under his eye, ignoring their whoops and catcalls. He walked back in the dark to his tent, set between Bao's and Jimoz's close to the forest. He pushed aside the flaps wearily, gazing down at Suki's dark form. She had been going to bed earlier and earlier the past couple of weeks, complaining of headaches and just not feeling well. He hoped she wasn't getting fire fever, pentapox, or whatever Jimoz had called it.

He stripped off his boots and armor and flopped down beside her on his back with a sigh. His bedroll was comfortable, padded with feathers and lined with fabric that was cool in the summer and held heat in the winter. It was such an improvement from the one he had when he travelled with Aang. It had always been hot, no matter what season.

He closed his eyes as he thought of Aang. He was…had been such a goofy kid. He didn't deserve the death he had gotten. If Sokka ever came across Azula, he'd bury his sword to the hilt in her belly.

Suki rolled over in her sleep, laying her arm across his chest. He tucked his arm under her neck, cradling her against him. His warrior woman. He knew she could lay him out flat if she wanted to, and had a couple of times when his male pride had gotten the better of him. He was glad for her restraint of not dumping him on his ass in front of his troops. He had always had a soft spot in his tough male heart for strong women. His sister was strong.

He frowned at the thought of her. She had a kid. A half fire nation kid. He pushed away the thought of the father; it was easier to assume it was Zuko like everyone else. She was too young to be a mom. But she was. She was stronger than he was. She would be alright. And she had Zuko to watch her.

Sokka stared at the dark, tented walls above him, thinking about how she had changed. How he had changed. How tall Toph was. How…honorable Zuko was, claiming Kaya and protecting Katara. He'd still be glad when the angry jerk had his own country back and Sokka could go home to his. But who would Katara go home with? The thought troubled him as he slowly sank into sleep.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

The setting sun lit the three figures from behind as they took a step further into the alley. Zuko thrust Katara behind him as he squinted, trying to see who they were. She laid a hand on his shoulder from behind, trying to turn him.

"Zuko. Zuko! It's okay."

"Calm down, brother." One of the men said, turning sideways slightly to check the front of the alley. Zuko relaxed as he recognized him: Kwan, one of Toph's men. He was twin to Kyung, who stood on the other side of the alley. The third man, the mountain, was Seon, another one of Toph's. He was a man of few words, ever since the Fire Nation had cut his tongue out. Zuko didn't know what for or how to ask. The twins were stocky earth benders, identical except for Kyung's shaved head. They were a couple years older than Zuko and two inches shorter. They had a unique, rough style of earth bending that lacked the finesse of Toph's almost artistic, natural form. Seon wasn't an earth bender, but his massive size and two-handed battle axe functioned just as well when dealing with Fire Nation soldiers.

"Can we go?" Kyung said anxiously. "They're crawling all over."

Katara looked to Zuko who gave a curt nod. She took his arm and ruffled her hair as if he had messed it up and did the same to his. He rolled his eyes and plastered a smitten smile on his face as they walked out of the alley, the other three trailing after them moments later. He and Katara walked through the crowded streets, their heads bent together as they giggled, looking for all the world like a young couple in love. Katara kept her blue eyes down as much as she could, their turned, touching heads concealing Zuko's scar. They followed a winding path, zigzagging and doubling back until they reached a shabby tea shop in the seediest part of the Lower Tier. Even most of the Fire Nation troops left the area alone. It was well known for muggings, murders, and mysterious disappearances. Or so people were led to believe.

In reality it was a hotbed of rebel activity with disguised sentries posted to gently turn away anyone who didn't belong. If there was resistance, they got less gentle and Fire Nation troops did tend to disappear. The teashop, known seven years ago as the Pao Family tea shop, was a 'bolt hole' for rebels in trouble. Zuko and Katara used it as their home base in the city while their large main force camped in the caves high above Ba Sing Se. Over six hundred of their spies, whisperers, and soldiers were in the city at all times with the numbers swelling to over fifteen hundred overnight. Anyone in need of a quick escape could dart into the massive underground concealed barracks below the teashop.

Zuko noted the sentries as they came upon the shop and nodded discreetly to them. They acknowledged him with the barest flick of their eyes before returning to their cover activities: playing pai sho, begging, flying a kite on the roof of a nearby building. He and Katara broke apart as they ducked into the shop, their faces turning serious. The shop was well stocked with their people, all of whom nodded their heads or grunted in greeting. Kyung, Kwan, and Seon headed towards the back, for the stone staircase that led to the barracks underneath.

"Fire Lord Zuko!" A voice shouted from the back as they passed and Zuko cringed. Motzu's excited face appeared behind the counter for a moment before he was yanked back around the divider by Denali's strong hand. Katara grumbled in her throat about impulsive, thoughtless fire benders and Zuko glared at her too.

"Don't glare at me, _you're_ the one who picked him." She poked him in the shoulder and brushed past, sitting down in a booth beside Chi Lin and Kaya. She looked over her shoulder at Zuko and smirked. "Your Lordship better go see what he wants."

"Don't tell your Lordship what to do." Zuko grumbled as he stalked past, making both Kaya and Katara chuckle. He didn't let them see his smile. "I'll need your report later, Katara." She waved a hand at him lazily as she wrapped an arm around Kaya in a one-sided hug. Chi Lin sat opposite them, a cup of steaming tea in his hands, his eyes roving everywhere.

Thinking that he wasn't sure if he was okay with having Kaya sitting in the front of the shop used by rebels and could be attacked any day, Zuko rounded the divider that separated the kitchen from the seating area. Denali had a squirming Motzu effortlessly locked in a one-arm hold with his hand clenched over the younger man's mouth. He looked at Zuko with a tired expression.

"He has been like this all day, Zuko. He needs a muzzle."

"I'm aware." Zuko motioned for him to let Motzu go. The fire nation man scrambled away from Denali with a rueful look on his face. "You need to keep your voice down, especially here."

"I'm sorry my Lord, it's just-"

"Just call me Zuko. I'm no one's 'Lord' yet."

"Yes, my Lord. A message came for you." He held out a small, rolled scroll with the wax seal already broken.

Zuko did his best to not broil his lieutenant as he reached for the small scroll. Motzu might be absent minded, but he was a strategic, ruthless soldier in combat and Zuko relied on him to lead his fire benders. Otherwise he would have let Denali hold him down until the war ended and thanked him for it.

Zuko pulled it open, noting his name at the top. It was written in the water tribe language and he frowned. "Have you read this yet?" They both shook their heads. "It's my Uncle's handwriting." He paced back a few steps and caught Katara's eye, motioning her over. She rose, leaving Kaya with Chi Lin. "My Uncle sent a message."

"What did he say?" She asked, leaning against the doorframe. It had been a long day. She noticed Denali acknowledge her with a slight bow and she returned it, meeting his dancing eyes and calm face. He was almost as unreadable as Chi Lin, she thought, frowning.

"I don't know."

"You really should learn to read water tribe." She chastised him, taking the parchment from his hand. She skimmed over it, her brow furrowing only to shoot upwards. "He says Romjak and our people had made it to the caves safely and are working on a new Tree Town behind them, because there's not enough space." She squinted her eyes, trying to make out the tiny lettering. Zuko's lips quirked up at her expression. "He says he'll be on his way here soon with 'some old friends.'" She flipped the paper over. "That's all. Any idea who his 'old friends' are?"

"No." Zuko replied, taking the message from her to light it on fire.

"Hmm." Katara shrugged. "I guess any friends of Iroh's are welcome, right?" She grinned mischievously. "Maybe I'll start writing my reports in water tribe."

Zuko glared at her. "if you'd just write them at all it'd be nice."

"You're with me for them anyway, why do you even need them? Or why can't you write them?"

"Because I'm busy."

"Busy doing what? Not reading water tribe?"

"Water tribe makes no sense at all. Why would I want to read it?"

"It was your idea to write everything in water tribe and you can't even read it!"

"Can you read Fire Nation?" Silence and a glare. He knew she could read Earth Kingdom as well as he could but had never learned the complex, delicate Fire Nation characters. "That's what I thought."

"What do you even want me to write? Jumped off building, stopped Fire Nation man from hurting woman, stole documents from Governor, escaped Governor's pet tigerdillo, fought firebenders, ate lunch; was awful, staked out central barracks, noted comings and goings, got noticed, ran, fought Dai Li, fell in hay, pretended to like kissing Zuko, came home?"

"'_Pretended_ to like kissing Zuko?'" Motzu mused from behind them. They both trained their glares on him and he shrank back, grimacing.

Denali cleared his throat, trying to hide a bemused smile. The two of them always entertained him when they bickered. According to his own Northern Water Tribe customs, Zuko should have carved her a betrothal necklace long ago. And if he didn't soon, someone else might want to. "Any assignments for tonight?"

Zuko turned to him, ignoring Katara's indignant huff. "Same as always."

"Mayhem, mischief, and resistance?" Denali said with a crooked smile. "Bit of protection and political defiance thrown in there?"

"Are you sure you're not Fire Nation?" Motzu asked, eyeing Denali closely. "You certainly don't sound very water tribe-y."

"It happens when you live as a 'guest' of the Fire Nation for five years." Denali murmured, his blue-grey eyes flinty. "You start to sound like your enemy."

"Not all of us are your enemy." Motzu pointed out.

"But you all _sound_ alike."

It was Zuko's turn to clear his throat, halting the squabble. "Motzu, take your fire benders and see if you can't find something important to melt."

"Yes Fire Lord!" Motzu saluted hastily and ran out. Denali and Katara chuckled as Zuko glared after him.

"Denali, have you made progress with the water system?"

"We are still working on it." Denali crossed his arms, frowning. "Anything we freeze they just melt immediately or bend back together."

"Maybe the problem needs to disappear entirely."

Denali's eyebrows shot up. Zuko could see the implications and ideas race across his face. "That is a big project."

"Can you do it?"

"Of course." Denali said, his face passive again. "I will take six and be back by morning."

"If you're not, I'm sending Motzu with you next time." Zuko threatened.

Denali chuckled darkly and headed out, stopping beside Katara on his way by. "Do you want to come?"

Katara flicked her eyes up and down him. He was tall and well-built with long brown hair tied at the nape of his neck. His face was clean shaven with dancing flinty eyes that sparkled with a flirt's air, at least around her. She wondered sometimes if he if he liked needling Zuko or was actually interested in her. The way his body was angled towards her made her think he was and she gave him a small smile. "Not tonight."

Denali shrugged and winked at her, genuine affection on his face. "Next time." He walked out, signaling to a group of water benders dressed in green that sat in one of the booths near Kaya.

"He likes you." Zuko told her, walking over to stand in front of her.

"Jealous?" Katara asked, smirking at him as she put her arms around his neck.

"No." He frowned down at her, bracing himself on his forearm above her head. She arched her back, bringing their chests together. "Do you want me to be?"

"Of course not." She nuzzled his neck with her nose, sending shocks straight to his groin. "I think that would be scary."

"Hmmm. I think you're right." He pressed a scorching kiss to her lips, his hands running up from her hips, brushing against the sides of her breasts, to cup her face. He pulled back to look into her gleaming blue eyes. "I need that report."

He winced as she kneed him in the stomach and stormed off. She stomped back to the table with Chi Lin and Kaya, snatching a piece of parchment and a brush set on her way, plopping down at the booth and irately called for someone to light the candles. He smiled to himself, rubbing his stomach, as several fire benders jumped and sent small streams of fire shooting across the sitting area. She glared at him across the room before bending her head to write her report.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Zuko woke in the still air of the underground barracks, grasping for something that wasn't there. Or rather, someone. Katara was missing. But he wasn't alone: Kaya slept with her nose pressed against his chest, her long curls spread out across his arm laying beneath her head. Her small hand was cold on his chest. He lay his arm across her, trying to warm her up in the chilly, dank air. Where was Katara? He hoped she wasn't still mad about the report. She had still been writing when he'd gone to bed. Kaya must have found him, like she was always able to do. The barracks was simple; stone bed platforms jutted out in the shallow doorless rooms, stacked three high with stone steps leading to them, bent from the underground cave walls by Toph's earth benders, enough to sleep three hundred comfortably. Blankets and thin straw mattresses were all that provided comfort, but Zuko had slept on worse.

Zuko gently sat up, keeping his warm hand on Kaya's back. She reached her small hand out to where his warmth had been and he almost lay back down. The rustling of the thin sheets brought Chi Lin's curious, sleepy face around the doorframe.

"Do you ever sleep?" Zuko murmured, looking down at Kaya.

"Not if she is afraid." Chi Lin replied, his whispering voice soft.

"Where's Katara?" Chi Lin usually knew where everyone was.

"I…do not know." The other man frowned. "She has not come down yet."

Zuko could feel in his blood that it wasn't at all close to sunrise, but also far from sunset. Midnight. He rose, donning his tunic and boots.

"Will you stay with her?"

"Of course." Chi Lin rose, taking Zuko's place on the bed, though he did not lie down. He wrapped both of the blankets tightly around Kaya, cocooning her in wool, and sat beside her, leaning back against the wall.

"I'll bring another blanket for you when I come back." Zuko told him.

"I can get one."

"No." Zuko felt on edge, his hackles raised. "Don't leave her."

Chi Lin nodded, and Zuko could tell that he felt uneasy as well. He took his dao swords from where they leaned by the door and strapped them to his back, making sure they were loose in their sheaths. With a last look back he walked out of the doorway towards the stone steps.

As he mounted the first steps, the secret door was flung open above him with a crash and his swords were in his hands.

"Zuko!" Denali's voice was harsh, unlike him. "Zuko!"

Zuko charged up the stairs, meeting Denali, Motzu, and a half dozen of his people at the top. He twirled his swords in his hands as he slid forward silently, peering around the divide. He whipped his head back around, his heart dropping in his chest.

Kyung and Kwan lay slain on the floor of the teashop, their blood staining the wood in large puddles. Seon was scrabbling against a dozen fire benders, his massive axe holding them at bay. Behind him were three wounded men, two unconscious. Katara stood with her back to Zuko, her water whips lashing tirelessly at the advancing fire benders. They were in full plate armor emblazoned with the sigil of the Phoenix King and armed to the teeth. She froze them, blasted them, shot ice daggers through their eye holes but they kept coming. Zuko, in his brief glance, had seen that she was burned badly on her arm and she had blood on her; hers or someone else's it didn't matter.

His blood pumping fire through him, he lit snakes of fire around his blades and stepped out, coming into view of the invading fire benders. Denali and Motzu stood behind at his sides, their hands similarly full of their elements. The fire benders halted for a moment and Katara paused, confused. Breaking the brief silence, a fire bender lashed out, striking Katara on the side of her head and knocking her to the ground, her water splashing uselessly around her.

With a roar Zuko charged forward to stand above her, defending her against their advance, his flaming swords driving them back. Denali and Motzu sprang forward to back him.

"You shouldn't be with this riff raff, boy." The fire bender in front lifted his face plate, surveying Zuko from his remaining eye. The other was covered with a dark patch, his face framed with a goatee. "Escaped water benders, traitors. Bending like that, you could be a lieutenant."

"I'm far above a lieutenant." Zuko snarled, tightening his grip on his fire until the flames burned blue, coiling into tight spirals along his blades. With only a breath of hesitation, he threw caution to the wind. "I'm Crown Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, rightful heir to the throne." He heard Denali and Motzu shift behind him. He glared into the leader's stunned face as the other man took a step back. "You're committing treason."

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

**A.N.: **They just can't catch a break I really want to demand more reviews before I update again, but I won't. It's too much fun to write! :D


	19. Chapter 19

_I tried to be someone else_

_But nothing seemed to change_

_I know now, this is who I really am inside._

_Finally found myself_

_Fighting for a chance._

_I know now, this is who I really am._

_**-30 Seconds to Mars, 'The Kill'**_

In the silence that followed Zuko's words several soldiers stepped backwards several paces, their armored helms turning to each other. Zuko was dead, murdered by the Avatar and his water bender. The Fire Lord had told them so. Their commanders had told them. But there he stood, distinctive scar on his face, blue flames spiraling across his dao swords. He stood over the fallen water bending girl and another water bender stood at his back. Half of them wondered what they had stumbled upon.

"Zuko." The captain sneered. "I heard you were dead."

"So have I." Zuko replied. "But here I am."

"I also heard," the captain began to pace in front of him, keeping his side turned towards the supposed Prince. "that it was the Avatar that killed you, whom your sister then killed in retaliation for your death."

"Azula killed the Avatar for her own advancement and power." Zuko spat. "And so there would be no opposition to my father taking control of the world."

"Is that not a goal you yourself possess?" The captain's eyes were shifty, dark, as they carefully watched Zuko's swords.

"No." Zuko growled. "My goal is to return the Fire Nation to a country of honor and culture, to ensure world peace and prosperity." He raised his swords offensively at the captain's grimace. "It's time to restore the world to what it was meant to be: four separate nations living in harmony."

"A child's notion." The fire captain sneered. He gestured behind him with a quick snap of his fingers. "Jatzun, Thizu. Take this…rebel into custody. We'll see what the Phoenix King thinks of him." Silence. The captain whirled around, seeing his soldiers' faces turn to stubborn refusal. "You slinking cowards! Take him! Take them all!"

"Motzu?" A voice piped up from the back. A lanky, slender soldier pushed his way through, disregarding the seething captain. He was young, too young, Zuko thought. Barely sixteen, if that. When he was that age…he pushed the thought down. He was different.

"Kai?" Motzu gasped. "We thought you died at Chameleon Bay! Your mother has been going crazy." He didn't break his stance as he spoke, his eyes never leaving the captain's.

"Nah, I lost an ear though." The youth lifted his helmet to reveal a lopsided jutting of flesh, all that remained of his left ear. "Is this…really him?" Motzu nodded. Carefully, Kai lifted his weapon, a curved katana, and delicately crossed to stand beside Motzu, against his captain. "I stand with the true Fire Lord."

Great, Zuko thought, regarding the captain's red face. The youngest, smallest one decides to join me. it couldn't have been that big one in the back, no.

"You traitor!" The captain roared, lighting his fists.

"You're the traitor!" Kai yelled back. "How can you take up arms against the Fire Lord? No matter what, he's one of the royal family! Like he said, you're committing treason."

"Fire Lord Azula holds the throne, boy!" The captain stalked towards Kai only to be halted by a warning flare of fire from Motzu. He halted in his steps, livid. "And she's the greatest Fire Lord this world has ever seen!"

A snort came from the pack of soldiers. "If you think that, you're touched in the head."

"Who said that?" The captain whirled back around, advancing on his own troops. "Who dares?" He was met with a wall of stony faces. "Come forward, I order you."

None moved, except the soldier to the left of the captain, who delivered a crashing blow to the base of his captain's skull. The man sank without another word, his armor clattering on the wooden floor.

Zuko extinguished the fire on his blades as the platoon looked at him. The soldier who had struck the captain, a lieutenant by his armor, stepped forward hesitantly. "I don't know if…what I did was right, but I do know that this war has to end." Several heads nodded along with him. "I've seen the damage our country has done to these people. To the water tribes." He cast his eyes down, then back up to meet Zuko's. "We're not all vicious murderers." He sank to one knee in front of Zuko, the rest of the squad, save seven, following a beat after. "Your sister is. I pledge myself, and any of my men, to the service of the world, and the true Fire Lord."

"You're the insane one if you think he'll be any better than his lunatic sister." One of the seven standing men snarled. "Look at him. He's a boy."

Zuko was really beginning to tire of that word. He caught Denali's eye and jerked his chin towards the standing men. Denali, quicker than they could follow, shot tight ribbons of water forward, locking their arms to their sides and legs together with bands of ice. The men tottered for a moment and fell, narrowly avoiding their former comrades.

The kneeling man stood, looking at Zuko warily. "What will you do with them?"

Zuko knew this was a sort of small test. Azula would have had them executed immediately. His father would have tortured them for days and then executed them. "They will be imprisoned until the war is over." He shrugged. "If they still do not accept my rule, they will be exiled to the Earth Kingdom to begin a new life." He looked the lieutenant in the eye. "It's not honorable to penalize a man for being loyal to his leader."

"It is when he betrays the true leader to do so." The lieutenant nodded once. He held his hand out to Zuko. "I am lieutenant Raz of the Southern District."

Zuko grasped it. "I am honored by your service and loyalty."

Raz grinned. "I am honored to serve the true Fire Lord." He looked at Zuko sideways. "Did you mean what you said about restoring balance to the world?"

"Yes."

"I made the right choice then." Raz motioned to his soldiers and they formed up. "Where do you want us?"

Zuko dipped his head to Motzu who came to stand beside him, Raz a step behind. "Motzu is in charge of my fire benders. Can all your men be trusted?"

Raz nodded. "All but those seven."

Zuko gave a one-sided smile. "Are they willing to relocate?"

"You mean we don't have to go back to the barracks?" Kai asked, his eyes wide with hope.

Raz grinned and shook his head. "Sounds like life is about to get a lot better, boys."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Katara groaned. Her head hurt. Her arm hurt. She cracked her eyes open to see the gloomy dimness of the underground barracks. She felt like she was in a dream, everything seemed to move slower and was fuzzy along the edges. It felt hard to think. She tried to sit up and shake it off, but was pressed gently back down by a soft hand.

"I'm not done yet, Katara. Hold still."

She knew that voice. She turned her head, her head still feeling cloudy. Glowing blue eyes met hers, looking down at her as water-gloved hands moved gently around her burned arm.

"Aang?"

"Hi, Katara."

"You're dead." She closed her eyes, feeling sleep tug behind them.

"I know." The voice was sad. "But Kaya's alive."

Her eyes opened a little bit. "Kaya?"

"She'll need you in the days ahead. They both will."

"Both?" Her vision was clearing up; it was easier to think.

"Good bye, Katara. I'll always love you." Aang's voice and the blue glow faded.

Katara sat up, pressing a hand to her forehead as the room spun. She really needed to stop getting injured. She looked over to see Kaya kneeling beside her on the bed, her face downcast and looking guilty.

"Kaya…" Katara didn't even know what to ask. How to start. "…why…didn't you tell me?"

"I was afraid." Kaya whispered, her little face anxious. "Sometimes you didn't want to be around me," Katara cringed inwardly, knowing the times she meant; when the memory of Ozai was too strong and she couldn't bear it. She had tried to be subtle, make excuses for her absences. But obviously it hadn't worked. "and I thought that if you knew Aang was in my head, you'd want him around all the time. Instead of me."

"I'd never want Aang instead of you." Katara bundled her daughter into her lap, hugging her tightly. "I love you, Kaya. Those were…bad times. But I got through them." She wiped a tear from Kaya's eye with the pad of her thumb. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I'm so sorry."

"'s okay, mom." Kaya said, hugging her mother back. "I love you too."

"Does anyone know?"

Kaya looked very mortified. "Well…"

"Kaya." Katara sat Kaya back on the bed and looked at her seriously. "It could be dangerous if the wrong people know."

"None of them are wrong people!" Kaya exclaimed.

Katara felt like she had been slapped. More than one person knew, and they were keeping it from her. "Who, Kaya?"

Kaya shifted around guiltily. "My father. Uncle Iroh. Toph. That's all. And you!"

Katara stared at her in exasperation. "You told Zu-your…father and not me?"

"No!" Kaya said, waving her hands at her mother in strict denial. "He found out. I used bending to save you from a fire soldier and he saw." She shrugged one shoulder. "He had me tell Uncle Iroh so he could teach me fire bending. The only one I told was Toph, because Aang told me about how she uses her feet to see and I thought it was funny."

Katara sighed, scrubbing her palms along her face. "So everyone but Sokka knows."

"Lots of people _and_ Uncle Sokka don't know." Kaya pointed out.

"I know, I meant…never mind." She smiled tiredly at her daughter. "So, what can you do?"

Kaya beamed. "Lots of stuff! Want me to show you?"

"Maybe not right now." Katara said. She didn't know what had happened to the invading fire soldiers yet, but all seemed quiet. "How about you just tell me?"

"Okay." Kaya sat cross legged in front of her and began counting on her fingers. "I can shoot fire balls, I can do fire streams, I can control my fire, I can do lightening," Katara's eyebrows shot up. "I can make small rocks fly and big rocks crack, I can make small divides in the earth, and I can make lumpy rocks smooth. Oh, and I can make a sword sharper by looking at it." Metal bending, Katara thought. "Aang has been helping me with air bending, so I can do a lot with that. I can almost fly." In demonstration, she held her breath and concentrated, making a strong wind rush around the small room, gusting Katara's hair into large snarls. She floated a foot off the bed for half a second before falling back down. "Almost." She muttered to herself. "Uncle Iroh says I was born a fire bender." She told Katara, almost apologetically. "I'm not good with water yet. I can do healing a little, Aang taught me, and I can make the water go in circles in a bowl but I can't make it fly yet." She let out a huff of air. "That's all."

"That's a lot." Katara murmured. "You're so young."

"Yeah." Kaya looked at her feet. "Aang says he'll keep helping me with air bending because there's no more air benders, but I'm not good with water or earth yet. I need real teachers." She looked pleadingly at her mother.

"Well I'm not sure about earth benders," Katara said, thinking. "But I will train you in water bending." She looked at Kaya. "If you want."

"Of course!" Kaya launched herself at her mother, grabbing her tight around the waist. "It's what I always wanted."

Katara smiled and held her tight. Neither of them heard the approaching footsteps until Zuko leaned against the door frame, facing them with his arms crossed.

"Look who's up." He sounded tired. Katara realized it must still be the middle of the night.

"How long was I out?" She asked him.

"About an hour." He replied, coming to sit next to her and Kaya. "The soldiers joined our side."

"Oh." Katara was surprised. "That's…good?"

Zuko nodded. Katara noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "We can always use more soldiers. There were twenty five of them. Seventeen joined us."

"Where are they?"

"Eating. Upstairs." Zuko groaned and stretched out to lie on the bed beside them. "What are you talking about?"

"Kaya told me a secret." Katara said, glancing at the door as Chi Lin appeared. "The one you knew, Zuko, and I didn't."

He looked at her guiltily. "Oh." He shifted so he was leaning against the rock wall, looking at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She sighed. "It's my fault I didn't know. The impression I gave both of you…" She shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Zuko laid his hand on her knee, trying to reassure her. "We wanted to protect you."

"From myself." Katara gave a spiteful laugh. "Maybe you were right and I couldn't handle it then." She hugged Kaya again. "But I can now."

"I would suggest this secret," Their heads whipped towards Chi Lin, standing in the doorway facing out, watching. "not go any further. Not until the war is over."

"You know?" Kaya asked, excited.

"My father was a fire sage." He gave her a small smile over his shoulder. "He taught me the signs."

"How long have you known?" Katara demanded.

"Since she was born." Chi Lin responded, flicking his eyes at her.

"So you've been protecting her all this time, not me." Katara realized, frowning.

"You wanted to stay here to protect the Avatar." Zuko added.

"I have been protecting both of you." He said to Katara, almost sounding hurt, offended. "And I always will."

Zuko sighed. "I agree. This secret goes no further." He looked down at Kaya. "When Toph gets here next month, you can ask her to teach you earth bending. No one else, okay?"

Kaya nodded. "Okay."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"Have you seen Zuko?" Katara asked. Denali and Raz shook their heads, shrugging. Katara growled in annoyance and turned away. Chi Lin had fallen asleep beside Kaya as she took her morning nap, his sleepless watchful nights finally catching up with him, and Zuko had disappeared, leaving them in total darkness in the underground barracks. Katara had forayed up the stairs to see if he was among the 'new recruits' that had joined them two nights before. But he wasn't. Denali and Motzu were sitting with them, apparently swapping girl stories as they helped the new recruits paint their masks. They had clammed up at her approach, red spreading across several faces. Denali had smiled at her winningly and invited her to join them, but her mind was on Zuko.

She grabbed a small lantern from the kitchen, striking a match to light it. She ventured back down the stairs, thinking maybe he was skulking in one of the empty rooms as he did when he needed a quiet, solitary place to think. As Katara reached the bottom, the secret door closing above her, she noticed a soft golden glow coming from one of the bunks farther away from the stone staircase. She lifted her lantern and walked softly forward, not wanting to wake Kaya or Chi Lin.

Zuko sat with his elbows resting on his knees, head bowed, surrounded by dozens of lit candles. They were stacked on top of each other, wax running in rivulets to the stony floor. He stood as she entered, smiling gently at her surprised face.

"Hi."

"Hi." Katara answered, a smile of her own spreading across her face. "What is all this?"

Zuko shrugged, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "I thought since we have some down time…" he trailed off with a suggestive look.

"We could spend it together." Katara finished for him, extinguishing her lantern and setting it by the doorway.

"Yeah." Zuko opened his arms as she walked into them, pressing her face into the comforting crook of his neck. He kissed the top of her head softly, his hand dropping to cup her bottom. She stood on tiptoes to kiss him on his cheek, letting her arms curl up around his neck. He picked her up and swung her, startling her into pealing laughter. He clapped a hand over her mouth as he dropped her on the straw mattress, feeling her giggles against his palm. He smiled down at her, feeling the happiest he had since they had gotten to Ba Sing Se two and a half months ago.

Her blue eyes flickered with the candle light as she gazed up at him, tracing her fingertips along the stitching of his dark tunic. She could feel the heat from the candles build up around her as he got more excited, feeling her fingertips shift to massage his hips. Zuko kept his hand lightly over her mouth as he loomed over her, his other hand resting beside her head. He used the hand on her mouth to turn her head, giving him access to her neck. He left a trail of bruising kisses from her jaw to the hollow of her throat, stopping to nip at her collarbone, his cock growing hard beneath his loose pants.

She groaned against his hand, the sound muffled. Her fingers ran lightly up the front of his thighs, ghosting over the hard tent of his pants. She brushed over it once, twice, three times before he growled against her neck and thrust his hips forward, begging her to touch him. She gripped her fingers around his shaft, pumping him through the fabric. His hand clenched into a fist beside her head and he bit down on the fleshy area between her shoulder and neck, making her squeal behind his hand and arch her back up to meet him.

Slowly he took his hand away from her mouth. "Don't make me put it back." He warned her, panting. She mock-glared at him and gave a hard twist around his length. He bucked, feeling her fingers on his sensitive tip. She grinned mischievously and did it again, making him gasp out. "Keep doing that and I won't last long." She gave him a pouty look and did it one more time before returning to pumping up and down.

He ducked his head again to kiss her breastbone, using his now free hand to part the closings of her tunic, exposing her white wrappings underneath. With a quick tug at the secret knot, they fell to the side, exposing her soft breasts to his hungry eyes. He felt her breath quicken as he looked at them, running a single finger against their curves. She gasped and arched her back further as his lips closed around a dusky nipple, sending shocks of pleasure straight to her groin. She moaned quietly as his tongue laved against the hard nub, his hand massaging her other breast firmly. She never wanted him to stop but then he did and she tilted her head to see as he kissed lower, pushing her tunic aside to expose her belly, then the tops of her leggings, pulling out of her grasp as he scooted backwards.

"Zuko…" She groaned as he pushed her tunic completely off and began tugging on her leggings. And then they were off, and he was kissing her _there_ through her leggings. "…Zuko…"

He smirked against her as he removed her white wrappings, exposing all of her to him. Tenderly, he leaned down and placed soft kisses on her navel, travelling steadily downward. She gripped his shoulder with rough fingers, digging her nails into his skin. He looked up at her, hovering over her hip. "Is this…okay?" She nodded and he dipped his head, kissing her _there_. She let out a loud gasp, and his hand returned to cover her mouth while the other traced her slick folds, marveling at how wet she already was. He sunk one finger into her as his tongue dabbed at the sensitive nub of flesh above her slit, teasing her. She whimpered beneath his hand, throwing her head back and pressing her hips against his mouth. He added another finger inside her, sucking gently on her nub as he moved his fingers slowly in and out, pressing along her inner walls.

Her hands were a flurry against his shoulders, gripping, rubbing, smoothing against his skin. She twirled her fingers in the shaggy hair against his neck, pulling it into bunches. When he ran his tongue from the bottom of her slit to the top, pausing to suck hard on her nub, she knew she wouldn't last much longer. She wanted _him_.

"Zuko." She moaned against his hand, but the sound was too muffled. She grabbed it with her own and pulled it off, making him stop suddenly.

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking apprehensive.

"I need you." She whispered, bucking her hips at him. "Please."

The look of desire and need in her eyes pulled him on top of her. He shed his pants, setting his erection free. He ran his hand over it, pumping it, as he leaned up to kiss her, positioning himself before her. He lifted his mouth from hers as he moved inside her, gently spreading the walls that had been prepared by his fingers. She groaned, her head tipped backwards as he filled her. She bucked her hips against him, encouraging him to go faster, harder. He complied, fisting his hand in her long, dark hair as he thrust into her, enjoying the small squeaking sounds she made as he hit her end again and again. He could feel her walls tightening around him, his own orgasm building quickly.

They came together, Katara crying out and Zuko covering her mouth once more with a growl, stilling inside her as his cock twitched inside her. He gave several more quick, short thrusts before he withdrew, wiping his sticky fingers discreetly on the blanket.

He looked down at her, his chest still heaving, seeing her closed eyes and parted lips. A blush was spread across her cheeks and it made his heart swell to know it was from him, that he had done something right, even if it was something as primal as pleasing a woman. A woman he loved.

He rolled off from on top of her, noting her grunt of disapproval. He sat up to lean back against the corner where the straw mattress was pushed up against the wall and pulled her to him so her back rested against his front, his knees on either side of her. She murmured incoherently, dozing against him. Zuko put his arms around her, resting his hands on her stomach.

He looked down at her still form, enjoying the way the golden light from the candles cast shadows against her naked breasts, her abdomen, the damp thatch of hair between her legs. He bent his head to press a kiss to her throat, making her eyes flutter open. She turned to return his kiss, feeling a sense of oneness as he held her, as if the half of her soul had been returned and sat cradling her against him.

"My lord! Zuko!"

Zuko snarled, his golden moment of peace and content shattered. Katara sat bolt upright, her hands going to cover herself. Zuko snatched the blanket and threw it over them just as Motzu's face appeared around the doorframe.

His wide eyes took in the glaring water bender and his livid Fire Lord, the candles, the blanket, the clothes strewn everywhere, and the terror intensified in his eyes. Zuko started to bark out that if this wasn't important, Motzu was about to have some horrible fate visited upon him when Denali's voice came from behind the fire bender.

"My lord!" Denali and Kai appeared, dragging a struggling form, Denali doing most of the work. As they came into the candlelight, Zuko saw lieutenant Raz's furious face, his arms bound behind his back, a cloth gag stretched across his mouth, baring his teeth. "He and his soldiers have set fire to the caves and the new Tree town. They have burned everything, even the teashop." He shook Raz violently as the man continued to struggle. "We have the fire upstairs under control, but Tree town is burning rapidly."

Raz worked the gag from his mouth, forced onto his knees by Denali. Kai stood over his former commander, his face sickened. "You'll never be Fire Lord." The man on the floor sneered, snarling up at Zuko. "Any true fire noble would never dirty their cock by fucking a water tribe whore." He spat on the floor. "All hail Fire Lord Azula! And her glorious father, the Phoenix King! The world belongs to the Fire Nation."

A swift kick from Denali's boot silenced him, knocking the deceiving man's face to the floor. He looked up at Zuko and Katara, his normal calm giving way to anger and dread. "Several of his men escaped before we could capture them. The Fire Nation will not allow us to live if they catch us here, especially you Zuko."

Zuko nodded, seizing his pants from the end of the bed and slipping them on. He leapt from the bed, handing Katara her own clothes back. "Get your squads together and mobilize. Denali, take your water benders to the caves and Tree town, get everyone to safety to the East. Take Chi Lin and Kaya with you. They are _not_ to come back into the city." Denali nodded and left, dragging the cursing Raz with him. "Motzu, take your fire benders and get everyone out of here. Make sure no one is left behind. Burn the teashop to the ground, no trace of us can be left." Motzu nodded with a pained expression and darted away. "Kai," Zuko turned to his newest soldier. The gangly boy stood straighter, his face hard. "bring me a hawk."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"Is that from Zuko?" Min Ki asked, seeing the hawk land softly on Toph's padded shoulder in the sinking sun light. The day had gone well; they were almost done in Omashu. Reconstruction had begun with Toph constructing a scale replica in the dirt for the other earth benders to use as a model.

"Yeah, I can see his name right here." Toph pointed to the end of the scroll. "I think it says: To Minky, from Zuko with love." She rolled her eyes and tossed it to him, missing his sardonic smile. "Just read it."

She knew something was wrong when his heartbeat skyrocketed. "What is it?"

"There's fighting in the streets of Ba Sing Se." He read slowly, his deep voice grim. "Zuko's people have been found out, the Fire Nation has burned down their base and the new Tree town. Zuko writes that it's all-out war between his soldiers and the Phoenix King's." He rolled the scroll back up. "Zuko requests that we come as soon as we can."

"I doubt he worded it that nicely, but thanks for cleaning it up." Toph stomped the ground, sending tremors across the city. She heard several yelps in the distance and grinned, knowing her soldiers had felt her summons. "I guess we're mostly done here anyway." She cracked her knuckles, grinning wider. "It's butt whoop time!"

Min Ki chuckled and turned towards where the rest of their troops labored at rebuilding several structures. Toph surprised him by leaping onto his shoulders, piggy-back style. "Onwards, Minky! To victory!"

Min Ki grasped her ankles and strode off, shaking his head. "Aren't you a little big for ostrich horse rides?" He grunted, her quicksilver armor scraping raucously against his.

"Aren't you a little slow for an ostrich horse?" Toph shot back, grasping under his chin for support. "I'd sell you to a farmer if you were mine."

"If I were yours, I'd never let you." Min Ki murmured, kicking a discarded fire nation helmet so it skidded across the hard-packed earth, making an awful noise.

"You'd have no choice." Toph countered, tightening her arms around him to keep from falling off as he sped up. "Leave three hundred men here and bring the rest. I want to leave tonight; we're missing all the fun."

"You just want to get there ahead of Sokka to get more points." Min Ki accused, his fingers brushing gently against the exposed skin of her ankles left by the end of her armor. He smiled as he felt her shiver slightly against him, knowing it was a sensitive area for her.

"Nothing wrong with taking advantage of an opportunity." Toph intoned, mimicking Iroh's voice. "And hey, I just don't want to leave Sparky hanging for too long."

"We better get going then." Min Ki said, crouching down to set her back on the ground as they came up to her forces. "I hope I was a worthy steed, dread Commander Toph."

Toph let her hand linger momentarily on his back as she descended. "I guess I'll keep you after all." She shrugged. "You weren't the worst mount ever."

Min Ki smiled down at her with fond amusement, his dark eyes twinkling. "I'm sure you wouldn't be either."

He strode away, leaving Toph, perhaps for the first time in her life, speechless.

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

**A.N.: **War! Sorry if I don't update for a few days, I have family coming from cross-country to visit :D Please please review! I love to know what you think!

To Guest: Thank you for your review! :D Someone's always after them…

To Kat-Tastrophe: Tee hee! Reports are…important? They're probably all burned up now though…wasted effort. Le sigh.

To Guest: Dang! You read my mind Thank you for reviewing!


	20. Chapter 20

_To the soldier, the civilian,_

_The martyr, the victim_

_This is war._

_It's the moment of truth, and the moment to lie,_

_The moment to live and the moment to die,_

_It's the moment to fight, the moment to fight_

_To fight, to fight to fight_

_**-30 Seconds to Mars, 'This is War'**_

"Are you insane?" He roared, sending wave after wave of fire spiraling from his hands.

"No!" She yelled back, a manic grin spreading across her face behind her mask as she poised on the tip of the Middle Ring mansion, her head turned toward the side. "Trust me!"

"Katara, get back!" She could practically feel his glare through the dark eye slits, watching her as the Dai Li approached them, stone gloves bristling, ready for any excuse to strike. He backed towards her, aware that if his footing slipped just one inch to either side, he would crumple against the hard-packed streets of Ba Sing Se into a pile of bone and guts.

But then she was grabbing him by the hand and he swore as she dragged him over the edge with her, doing his best to curl his form around hers as they plummeted straight down, down, down. Maybe his body would keep her from being annihilated, even if it was her fault he was about to die. From the corner of his eye he saw a white blur hurtling towards them from the sky, and then arms were grabbing him and Katara and swooping them to safety, landing roughly and rolling in the massive, hard saddle and he had never been so glad to see the massive, hairy bison. Zuko grunted as his face was mashed against his mask and he tore it off.

"What was that?" he cried, directing his fear-generated wrath towards the struggling black-clad figure beside him, her own pearlescent mask tangled in her long hair. "You're fucking insane!"

"No I'm not!" She yelled back, her voice muffled, still fussing with the snarls of her hair. "I saw them coming."

"_You_ saw _them_ coming." Zuko's voice was incredulous. "You're lucky _they_ saw _you_!"

"He's right, Katara." Sokka said, his voice disapproving. "We barely saw you in time." He was seated beside Toph, Suki, Denali, Bae, and Kamol in Appa's enormous saddle, flying safely across the wall of Ba Sing Se. Toph had told them how she had found Appa years ago, taking refuge in a large cave outside the city. She had nursed the wounded animal back to health and coaxed him out of the cave after she had escaped her parents' tight leash. Appa had been depressed and withdrawn after the death of Aang, but from Toph's constant attentions and his gradual introduction to the rest of her forces, he had become the old Appa again, though he was still wary of strangers.

Katara and Sokka had been overjoyed to be reunited with him when they reached the rebel camp in the North and had spent nearly an hour petting, hugging, and talking to him. Zuko had stood off to the side, leaning cross-armed against the wall of Appa's stable-cave, watching. He had been warned that Appa might not take to him, since he was both a stranger and a fire bender. But the great beast had shuffled his way over to sniff him from toe to nose and deem him satisfactory with a slobbery lick up his front. Katara, Sokka, and Toph had cracked up at his horrified face, dripping with bison saliva.

"Shut up, Sokka." Katara snapped, her nerves frayed from a long day of running from the Dai Li and fire benders. "It worked, didn't it? We're alive aren't we?" She stomped off to sit behind Appa's head alone as they flew west into the setting sun, towards the rebel's new headquarters.

Zuko spat out a lick of fire and reclined against the saddle's edge, groaning. He hurt everywhere. The Dai Li were relentless; they had chased them across the Middle Tier as the fighting on the streets spread, Zuko's soldiers following him and Katara as they raced across rooftops, dropping fire bombs in strategic windows, eliminating several caches of weapons, maps, and noble's treasure. He had picked up several maps but had lost them as the Dai Li had snuck up on them. He ran his hands over his arms and chest, his face darkening at the handful of nicks and scrapes he had picked up and the one lone gash across his chest that joined a serious of gashes from battles fought just days before. Maybe if Katara was in a better mood later she'd heal him…

"Girls." Sokka muttered, shaking his head. "How'd it go today?" He looked at Zuko, frowning. "We lost you after you guys took off and left us in the Middle Ring."

"Sorry." Zuko murmured, rubbing the back of his head, checking for blood. His hand came back clean, but it still hurt. "We saw an opening."

"You could have waited for us."

"No time."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Fine. Talk to me when you're in a better mood." He looked to the horizon, noting the setting sun. "Fighting should die down soon."

The men around him nodded, while Suki and Toph shrugged. "Maybe." Toph said. "The fire benders might back down a little, but the earth benders could go all night."

"They should." Zuko rumbled, sitting up. "Fire benders are weaker at night, especially this close to the eclipse. We could finish taking the Lower Ring."

"Drop me off there." Toph called to Appa, who acknowledged her with a snort. She turned back to Zuko. "I'll meet up with Min Ki and the rest of my men. We can handle it. You look awful."

Zuko glared at her, knowing she couldn't actually see him.

"Why haven't Ozai or Azula fought yet?" Suki mused, looking down at the smoking rubble of the Lower Ring. "I thought we'd have seen them by now."

"They won't risk it." Zuko said, turning his face towards the sunset. "They're too important. They'd rather let their forces die in the streets and wait until the threat is on their door." He shrugged. "If they were captured or killed, the Fire Nation would be mine by all of our laws and customs. Or Uncle's." He gave a sardonic half-smile. "They can't stand that thought."

Appa dipped through the sky to drop Toph with her troops. Kamol , Bae, and Denali went with her to regroup with their own soldiers in the area, leaving only Sokka, Suki, Zuko, and Katara on Appa's back. Katara stayed sullenly on Appa's head, her feet resting on his poofy brow. Zuko glanced over at her and then at Sokka. The water tribe warrior jerked his head in her direction and gestured.

Suki rolled her eyes. "Just go over there. She's probably just tired and embarassed."

Zuko nodded and stood, walking unsteadily over the shifting saddle to where she reclined. As he sank into the dusky fur beside her, she turned her head, crossing her arms.

"Sorry." He rasped, looking ahead between Appa's horns at the world flying beneath them.

Her head snapped back around. "What?"

"I'm…sorry." He offered, propping his feet up beside hers.

"Why?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "Because you're mad."

She glared at him. "Not at you."

Zuko bit his tongue against an angry retort. He took a breath, held it, and let it go. "You seem mad at me."

"I just…" Katara sighed irritably. "I just hate being wrong. And I was. You were right. It was a dumb, lucky move."

"It worked." Zuko had an impulse to put his arm around her but hesitated. She still looked mad. "We're okay."

"Yeah." She sighed, allowing her thigh to nudge his. "I'm tired."

"Yeah." He embraced her shoulders, drawing her head down to rest on his shoulder.

"I mean…" She rubbed the bridge of her nose against his shoulder. "I'm tired of this war. We've been fighting for months and the eclipse hasn't come. When does it end?"

"We're getting there." Zuko murmured, leaning his chin on her head. "We're in the Middle Ring." He hadn't woken with the sun for weeks. The eclipse was coming closer and closer.

"It's not enough." Katara sighed, her eyes closing as the sun sank below the horizon.

"I know." He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, looking up at the star dusted sky.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Katara and Suki were both asleep by the time Appa landed at the rebel camp, his low groan rumbling across the ground. Sokka shook a cranky Suki awake to slide down Appa's tail, while Zuko lifted Katara in his arms and slid down with her on his lap. Sokka waved a weary goodnight as Suki smiled and turned away with him.

The camp was set up similar to Tree Town, with tents forming concentrically with campfires and stewpots in the middle. Scouts whistled to each other in the treetops, their bows and arrows held tightly in their hands. Firebugs flickered in happy sparks in the darkness, darting from bush to bush. The camp was almost ten miles from the Wall, nestled in a thick part of forest that bordered on a swamp. The locals had been very welcoming, offering up dishes of giant bugs and deep fried gator. Katara had been surprised to find the swamp benders untouched by Ozai's purge of the water tribes, but they had shrugged it off. No one knew they were there, their leader Tok had said. No fire bender could imagine living in a muddy hole, so why would they bother looking?

Zuko carried Katara to the tent they shared with Kaya and Chi Lin. It was slightly larger, but still felt cramped to Zuko. Chi Lin slept on the far end while Kaya lay nestled in the middle of their sleeping furs, protected against the night's sharp chill. At their entrance, Chi Lin started up, his fists already curled around lethally sharp daggers. Zuko motioned him back to sleep and he collapsed back down, his knives disappearing under his pillow and side. Zuko wondered how he kept from impaling himself.

Kaya woke as he laid Katara beside her, blinking blearily at Zuko. "I can't see."

"What can you do about that?" Zuko asked quietly.

Kaya thought for a moment before flicking her finger up, lighting a small fire at the tip. It illuminated the tent enough for Zuko to remove Katara's boots and stash their masks somewhere safe. He tucked the furs tightly around her and slid in on the other side of Kaya, settling between her and Chi Lin. Kaya burrowed closer to her mother, pressing her small frame against her. Katara muttered in her sleep and rolled over, leaving Kaya with her back. Zuko squinted to see Kaya's small disappointed face and motioned for her to come closer. Kaya wriggled over so her back faced his chest and he laid his arm gently over her.

"She just sleeps that way." Zuko murmured, hugging her close for a moment. "It's not you."

"I know." Kaya sighed, her small voice resigned. "I'm just not sure sometimes."

"She loves you."

"I know." Kaya said. "Do you?" Her voice was shy, almost hesitant.

"Yeah." Zuko said, without hesitating.

"Good." Kaya smiled.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

The morning dawned foggy and wet, the sunlight fighting to break through the thick mist. Zuko rose just after sunrise, stretching his sore limbs beside the sparking embers of last night's campfire. He didn't want to return to the battle. He didn't want to wake Katara, tell her to put on her mask, and lead her back to her possible gravesite. He didn't want to leave Kaya without a mother, without the protection he himself could give her. He didn't want to convene with Sokka and discuss the best way to cut down more fire benders, his own people who were just on the wrong side. He didn't want to imagine what could be his own last moments in the context of blood, sweat, and steel. But he could already hear the sounds of battle, smell the smoke in the air. Toph's forces and Sokka's People who had stayed at the wall overnight were already fighting, dying, and winning.

He absentmindedly thrust his hand out to light the fire and his fist…sputtered. He frowned; he was tired. And sore. He tried again, and a short stream of flame shot out but fell short of the fire pit. His head snapped up and he was running, shouting. Some of the early risers looked at him bewilderedly as he did, surprised at seeing him dart about.

"Katara!" He yelled, startling Chi Lin out of sleep and into a fighting crouch, his feet tangling in the furs at his feet. "Katara!"

"What?" She asked, sitting upright slowly, her voice grumpy. Kaya woke at her side, her eyes finding Zuko's.

"The eclipse." She gasped, her mother peering down at her with one eye.

"Yeah." Zuko said, trembling with nerves and adrenaline. "We have to go."

Katara nodded and rose quickly, pulling on her tall boots and wrapping her hair into a tight knot. She snatched her mask from where it lay, kissed Kaya on the head, and went hurtling after Zuko as he started shouting orders across the camp. Soldiers and villagers peered out from their tents and, once they understood what he was yelling, scrambled to find their weapons and black clothing.

"Where's Iroh?" Katara yelled to Zuko over the commotion, gulping a quick mouthful of water.

"Still not here with his 'old friends.'" Zuko called back, strapping his dao swords to his back, his mask perched like a leaf on top of his head. "Where's Sokka?"

"I'll go find him." Katara dashed back towards Sokka's tent as the rest of the camp began strapping eel hounds and ostrich horses into saddles and carts, preparing for combat.

Zuko stood still in the storm of mayhem around him, taking a deep breath as the sounds of the camp fell away. His eyes were turned towards the sky, as he knew all the other fire benders' would be. The moon hung low in the sky still; they had time.

Katara found Sokka with Denali and the rest of Sokka's People by his tent. The water benders were as keyed up as the fire benders, but with excitement and anticipation instead of nerves and apprehension. They could feel the pull of the moon coming, like a storm waiting to break. Sokka was shouting orders as they formed up, making sure everyone was armed with extra water as well as a weapon.

"Katara." Sokka said, granting her a half smile as he gestured for Denali to start for the Wall. "Are you coming with us?"

Katara shook her head. "I'm going with Zuko. We're leaving now."

Sokka nodded gravely and snatched her into a hug. "See you at the top." His voice was choked.

"You better be there." Her voice was equally emotional as she let go, watching her brother leap onto the back of a waiting eel hound beside Suki and Kamol. "We'll find Dad today." She called after him.

"Yeah, we will." He gave her one last nod and Suki waved as they kicked the eel hound forward and disappeared through the trees in a fluttering herd, the eel hounds making little noise as they raced across the dry forest floor.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"My Lord…"

Ozai whirled around from his stance at the window, his phoenix mantle a golden blur at his shoulders. "What do you want?"

The captain trembled beneath his firey gaze, dreading what he had to report. Before now, before the eclipse, they had managed to keep the identity of the 'General Who Commanded the World', as his own soldiers called him in anxious fear, a secret from Ozai. The Phoenix King had been growing more and more unstable as his empire crumbled beneath him, hardly leaving his chambers. First the Western colonies, then New Ozai in the South had fallen, and now his own jewel City of Azulan had been under siege for the past two months. Even Fire Lord Azula had retreated to her father's palace when New Ozai had begun to crumble, leaving the devastated city to the Earth Kingdom rebels. Ozai had not been pleased, and had sent his daughter scouring the streets at night to keep the Earth Kingdom peasants in check. But without their King's leadership, without his presence there with his soldiers on the battlefield, morale and loyalty had been dropping. The captain knew how many of his own soldiers had defected to the one they were calling 'The True Fire Lord,' but it wasn't something he wanted to bring up. Ever. They had scarpered away in the night, taking their friends and weapons with them. Now Zuko, the 'General of the World', commanded all three nations against the Phoenix King and his vicious daughter. Brother fought brother on the bloody dirt, pitted against each other for the sake of honor and what each side considered to be right.

"My Lord…they've opened the Wall. It's…" The soldier licked his lips as Ozai stalked towards him. "It's Zuko, my Lord."

"Zuko?" The Phoenix King hissed. "My son, Zuko?"

"Yes, my Lord." The captain urgently wanted to back up a pace as Ozai loomed over him.

"My traitor son has returned." Ozai mused, glaring down at the trembling man. "Is my brother with him?"

"No reports of Lord Iroh, my Lord." The captain shrieked as Ozai let loose a firey pinwheel.

"He is no Lord." He bellowed, retracting the fire as suddenly as he had released it. "He is a traitor as well."

"Y-Yes, my Lord." The captain fell to his knees before his King, eyes fixed on the plush carpet beneath him. "Forgive me, my Lord."

Ozai strode past him toward the open double doors of his chamber. He paced in front of it, his dark golden eyes restless. "Where is my daughter?"

"Here, Father." Azula appeared to lounge against the doorframe, her two usual shadows behind her. Mai and Ty Lee gazed at Ozai, Ty Lee's eyes widening slightly at his ominous face while Mai remained impassive. As usual.

"Where have you been skulking?" Ozai demanded. "Did you know your brother has returned?"

"I've heard rumors." Azula examined her nails, perfectly polished to a sharp point. "But nothing I can't handle." She flicked an imaginary speck of dust and lifted her eyes to her father's face. "I also hear he has the Avatar's water bender at his side."

Ozai's eyes snapped to the captain, still cowering on the floor. "How can you know?"

Azula shrugged, her pointed shoulder guards lifting and falling. "Rumors. I'm a people person at heart, Father."

"People person or no, my son or no, these rebels will be brought to heel." He pointed a long finger at Azula. "You will go meet your brother. Lead him to the training grounds before the palace where I can observe his defeat."

"The eclipse is coming, Father, today." Azula clipped, still looking at her nails. "Shouldn't you retreat somewhere safe like you did seven years ago?"

"I will not run from a pup." Ozai snarled. "And you will watch your tongue. I am the Phoenix King, your Father."

"I am aware." Azula drawled, pushing off from the doorframe. "What of the water bender?"

"She will come to me."

Azula resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. Really, her father's obsession was embarrassing. The old man really was unhinged. "Very well, Father." She sighed. She motioned to the two girls standing behind her and they left, leaving Ozai and his fury behind.

Ozai turned to the captain. The man was still kneeling on the ground, sweat dripping from his nose. He felt like he had heard too much today, too much the Phoenix King had wanted to keep secret. He listened as Ozai's footsteps padded closer and squeezed his eyes shut, sure he was about to receive a scorching end.

"Assemble my Guard." Ozai hissed down at him. "Station them around the palace. I want to know the instant the traitor sets foot in my Ring."

"Yes, my Lord." The soldier crawled backwards on his hands and knees until he was safely out of the Fire Lord's chamber. He rose and sprinted down the long corridor, thankful his life hadn't ended in a single firey blast. Perhaps he should have listened to his troops who said Zuko was different, that he wasn't the type to murder the messenger. Maybe it wasn't too late…

Behind him, Ozai strode to the window, looking out on the Upper Ring, still largely unharmed by the rebels. He could see the dust in the distance, smell the smoke as the Lower Ring burned. Zuko…the traitor Prince. And the water bender. He'd roast her alive in front of his son if he could get his hands on her. That she should be with _him_…the ultimate disrespect. The scum had killed Zhao. Ripped his throat out, he had heard. The man had been a good tool, Ozai's precise executioner. And now he was left with idiots who let his son tear down his Wall and steal his water bender.

The Phoenix King donned his winged helm and drew his chair close to the window, waiting.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"Bring it down!" The yell was taken up by the crowd of black-clothed soldiers as the wall between the Lower and Middle Rings fell with a resounding crash, dust flaring towards the sky. Toph glanced sightless to her left as Min Ki ran along the collapsing wall, skillfully skating across the falling rubble. He landed gracefully at her side, chest barely heaving.

"That was cute." She snapped. "What were you thinking? Are you stupid?"

"Sometimes." He panted, grinning down at her. "Zuko and Katara have gone ahead of us. What's your count?"

Toph grumbled in her throat. "I swear he's cheating."

Min Ki chuckled. "That far ahead is he?"

"There's no way Snoozles has taken down two hundred fire benders!" Toph yelled, stamping her foot. The rest of the wall collapsed at her command, leaving just the two of them on twin columns as the combined Earth and Water benders charged through, pulling bystanders into their flood. "He has to be cheating."

Min Ki nodded indulgently. "Of course. Hop on."

Toph stepped over to gingerly lever herself on to Min Ki's back, grasping around his neck as he leapt skillfully from conjured rock pillar to pillar until they reached the ground, landing at a run with the rest of the Earth Kingdom forces. Toph could run on her own, but the possibility of getting trampled was a real danger. She was fast with her non-sight, but the crowd was faster.

"Head for the Upper Ring!" She yelled in his ear. "We have to meet up with them!"

Min Ki nodded and sped up, darting around the slower moving army. Fire benders clashed with the oncoming benders on all sides, but their weakened fire bending left them vulnerable to the earth benders who simply encased them in stone and moved on, leaving them to be collected later.

Ahead of them loomed the last wall of Ba Sing Se, guarded heavily by the Dai Li and the strongest fire benders, save the Phoenix King's personal guard. Toph could sense Katara and Zuko already on top of the wall, fighting back to back against the oncoming agents. Zuko had abandoned his fire bending in favor of his dao swords, using them as extensions of his own person to chop down any before him. The wall was narrow, fitting only three abreast. Sokka's people were on the wall as well, using their enhanced water bending to quickly and efficiently immobilize the darting Dai Li, freezing their limbs to the wall.

Toph yet out an involuntary yelp as the sizzle of lightening cracked above her head. She felt Min Ki stumble for the first time in her memory.

"What happened?" She yelled in his ear.

"The Fire Princess." He panted, still dodging around the others in his dash to the wall. "She's above them on the wall."

Toph grabbed tighter on to him, hoping to be able to sense through him to the ground. It was dim, but between his pounding heartbeats she could feel Azula on the rooftop of a building inside the wall, firing bolt after bolt at the water benders. Two new figures landed on the wall and immediately began taking down their water and earth benders. Toph could barely feel them: she wanted to be on land _now_.

"Hold on!" She hollered in Min Ki's ear, and sprang over his back to land in front, almost tripping him. As she landed, she felt Sokka come up against one of the figures: the girl with the knives who had been with Azula when they had used a machine to ruthlessly track Toph and her friends down seven years ago. The two clashed, weapons sending sparks against each other. Toph growled and thrust her fists up, raising a jutting platform that sent her and Min Ki hurtling towards the wall. He braced himself by grabbing on to her shoulders until they landed between the girl and Sokka. Min Ki sent the girl flying with a shove, knocking her off the wall to the battle below. She fell with a shriek, but managed to sink her deadly knives into the wall, slowing her descent.

Toph stomped again, setting stairs into the column she had created, giving their forces a quicker way up onto the wall. Below her, she felt a rumble as her earth benders began to dig out the wall from underneath, creating a stable tunnel into the Upper Ring.

"That was mine!" Sokka exclaimed behind her, fuming as he looked over the wall at the slowly climbing girl. "You can't count her!"

"No way, Snoozles!" Toph yelled, sinking a Dai Li agent into the wall so only his bewildered head remained above ground. "You didn't do shit!"

Sokka grunted as a large fire bender pummeled him in the stomach. Toph flicked her wrist, sending the large man over the wall. "That one was mine too! Stop stealing my points!"

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Zuko bared his teeth as he ducked another blast from his sister, dodging her lightening. How she managed to still conjure lightening this close to an eclipse was beyond him; she really was a prodigy. His own fire bending had been reduced to limp fire balls that sputtered out three feet from him. Katara sent a hail of ice daggers towards her, but the Princess nimbly skipped aside, the daggers falling harmlessly where she had stood half a second before.

"You're going to have to do better than that, Zuzu." She called mockingly, fluttering her nails at Katara. "Your allies are so pathetic."

Katara snarled and darted forward, meaning to leap the distance between the wall and the roof where Azula stood, but Zuko snatched her wrist, holding her back.

"Something's wrong." He muttered to her, looking over at Azula. She looked bored. "She's not advancing."

"So?" Katara panted, her brow contorted. "She doesn't have to, she can shoot us from there."

"But she always does." Zuko replied, flicking his eyes to the sky. The moon lay parallel with the sun, on the brink of eclipse. "You need to go."

"Right now?" Katara asked, sending a flow of razor-edged ice disks towards Azula. The princess ducked and spun, avoiding all except the last which sliced through the point of her left shoulder guard. She landed on her feet with a snarl, running her fingers over the dulled edge. "She'll notice."

"I'll keep her busy." Zuko grabbed the back of Katara's head and kissed her roughly on the mouth for half an instant before Azula's lightening split them apart. "At her next blow, leap down. She'll think you fell."

Katara nodded. Her heart beat anxiously in her chest, clamoring for her to not follow through with their plan, to never return to his chamber, no matter what her advantage. Azula struck, raising a large cloud of dust as her lightening obliterated a large chunk of the wall beneath their feet. With a last look at Zuko, she dropped, catching herself on a slide of snow as she reached the ground.

She ran towards the palace of the Phoenix King, pushing down her hysterical screaming fears with the logic: She was the only bloodbender. He wouldn't be able to fire bend, he'd be defenseless. She'd be able to slip past the guards as a single attacker better than an army could. She was the only one who could surprise him. He didn't know she was coming.

Katara raced along the streets of Ba Sing Se, hidden in the shadows by her black clothing as the tip of the moon passed over the sun on her mission to apprehend the Phoenix King. Kaya's sire. The source of her worst recurring screaming nightmares. Her lover's father. Conqueror of the world and destroyer of her people. She was determined. She was terrified.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"Where is she going?" Kaya squealed, looking down. She and Chi Lin were perched on the edge of Appa's saddle, safely above the carnage below. "She's not safe!"

They had deposited Katara and Zuko with Toph early that morning before taking off to hover above the city. There was a consensus, a general feeling, among those who knew the truth that the Avatar should be there for the fall of the Phoenix King. Whether or not her identity would be revealed was undecided, but her presence gave them hope and a sense that she was safe above all of them. Katara had also voiced that she felt better knowing Kaya was somewhere she couldn't squirm out of to join the fighting.

"She is doing her part." Chi Lin answered, his murky eyes taking in the battle below, noting the weak points and seeing the victories. He knew where Katara was going and, like Sokka and Toph, hadn't been thrilled to hear her crucial role in the attack.

"She left him alone!" Kaya cried, pointing down at Zuko on the wall.

"He is not alone." Chi Lin said, though the Fire Prince certainly looked alone against his sister at the moment. As they watched, Azula baited him, attacking and retreating until he was forced to chase after her. She led him away from her forces towards the palace. "That is not good."

"What?" Kaya asked, tugging on his sleeve. "Why isn't that good?"

He looked down at her in frustration. How to explain battle tactics to a child, even if that child was the Avatar? He turned his eyes back to Zuko, seeing Kozan and Denali tear off after him, taking several of their best men with them. "It is okay now. He has help." He didn't mention the two shadows that leapt after them, the two girls that arrived with Azula.

"But my mother doesn't." Kaya said, her small voice hard. Chi Lin looked down at her suspiciously as she closed her eyes, her small hands forming fists in her lap.

"Kaya." Chi Lin nudged her. Her eyes flashed open, a startling glowing blue. He leaned back, frowning.

"Stay here." Her voice was all and one, hers but not hers. She lifted her arms as if she were about to fly.

He grabbed her by the shoulder. "Do not do this. Please."

"The fate of the world depends on what we do today." The voices that were one said, the terrible glowing eyes in the child's face looking down on him icily. "Stay here."

Chi Lin could only watch as the child he was sworn to protect, the child he cared for as if she were his own, leapt from the bison's saddle, spiraling towards the earth in a headlong drop. At the last second a great wind caught her and spiraled her towards the Palace. He looked down from above, gripping the rim of the saddle with white knuckles as the wind became a focused ball of air beneath her, whirling her out of his sight, lost among the winding alleys and buildings of Ba Sing Se.

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

**A.N.: **Sorry this took so long! Family + car trouble + work being busy = no time to write! Also, have several new ideas in my head, mostly thanks to Kat-Tastrophe. Also had an idea for a Game of Thrones/Avatar crossoverish thing. Thoughts? As always, reviews make me wriggle with joy. Please let me know what you think! 3

To Arashi Uzukaze: Nope They are loyal to Azula, just tryin' to be all spy-y.

To G0d3ss0fD1sc0rd: Me too! xD Thank you! And yeah that was my thought with her being a Firebender, also b/c of Ozai being her father.

To Kat-Tastrophe: Damn the report sir! Lol Thank you! I'm working on that plotline for ya just been ADD.

To Lithriel23: Le sigh. Never a quiet moment for those two. Thank you!

To Guest: Thank you! Your review made me smile

To storyoftheunknownfangirl: Thank you! I do that all the time with fanfictions…totally worth it though!

To Guest (Jessica): Thank you so, so much! I admire 'The Black Games' so much, I feel so honored to be compared to them. I don't really have any SN except my deviantart account, but it doesn't really have much to do with my writing :/ but it's .com if you'd like to check it out And thank you again!


	21. Chapter 21

_As their castles crumble slowly__  
__We watch them fall__  
__The crown slips from heads unworthy__  
__As we gain control_

_**-Rise Against, 'Heads Unworthy'**_

Zuko kept one eye on Katara as she darted away down the streets towards the palace as Azula baited him. She was trying to lead him deeper into the Upper Ring, her frustration evident on her face as he refused to play along.

"What's the matter, Zuzu?" She taunted him, sending a weak bolt of lightning towards him. Her face screwed up as she glanced skywards, seeing the moon's edge in contact with the sun's.

"What's the matter, Azula?" He shot back, raising his swords as he prepared to leap after her. Time to see where this gopher hole led. "Lost without your bending?"

"Are you lost without your whore?" She snapped, her fire a mere orange glow at her fingertips. "Missing her wet touch already?"

Zuko snarled, hoping to make her think his anger was worse than it was. Seven years ago, her words would have goaded him into charging after her blindly, falling headlong into whatever trap she had waiting for him. He chanced a glimpse upwards at the eclipse hanging over their heads. The moon inched closer over the sun, and he felt another drop of fire flee him, eaten by the silver of the moon. "Don't talk about her!"

"Struck a nerve, have I?" She smirked, dancing out of reach of his swords as he leapt after her onto the rooftop beyond the wall. "Did you know Father is obsessed with her too?"

Zuko hated the way she spoke too fast, her words tumbling out of her mouth as if she were just so eager to send them like barbs under his skin. "He's obsessed with his own fantasies."

"Of your water bender." She laughed at him, and he thought she sounded a bit off, a bit less in control than he remembered.

"She's not mine." He growled, swiping at her only to have her jump backwards with a flip. "She's her own."

"So just her cunt is yours?" She laughed again, trailing off hysterically. "You know Father means to kill her. Burn her at the stake like the water witch she is."

Zuko flinched at the thought and seethed inwardly. He fought for control and found it in the memory of her blue eyes looking up at him. They'd be together again; not even Azula could keep them apart. "And who did your cunt belong to, dear sister?" He triumphed slightly at the look on her face. "Zhao?"

"Zhao was a fool." She spit, leaping towards him in fury, slashing down with a foot that barely smoked. He blocked her, hacking down with his sword. She darted past him and turned back. "He refused my offer. We could have taken down Father together and put an end to this world."

"If you end the world, you'll have nothing to rule." Zuko yelled, charging at her. She skipped over him, landing further toward the palace. He changed direction and lunged back at her, sending her back and back until she was running from him. He knew she wasn't retreating: she was leading. But he chose to play his part, and went barreling headlong after her, keeping the image of a sleeping Katara in the back of his mind to keep his wits about him. Behind him he heard the shouts of Denali and Kozan as they followed him, bringing a handful of men along. He didn't hear Mai and Ty Lee follow, their silent footsteps shadowing those of his men.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Katara slunk silently around a pillar, her mask discarded in a potted plant behind her, replaced by a simple black cloth that went over her nose and mouth, a black hood obscured her blue eyes from a casual observer. She had entered the palace clinging underneath a palanquin bearing a fire noble. The great houses had been fleeing into the stronghold of the palace all morning, hoping for sanctuary, only to be turned away by the Phoenix King's servants. Several had become quite upset and the guard had been called to escort them out. During one such altercation, Katara had slipped from beneath the palanquin to stealthily creep behind a large chest in the receiving area while the noble provided distraction with his hysterics. From there she had made her way, step by agonizing step, the moon's power singing through her veins.

She had made it to the third tier and begun creeping towards Ozai's chambers when she heard a dull roar coming from the corridor ahead, from the side that overlooked the front of the palace. She crept nearer, hearing the dull roar get louder and louder. From behind her pillar she could see through the large room that backed the wide balcony and out over the small, barred ledge. The sparring arena in front of the palace was lined with spectators, all screaming and yelling. The Phoenix King stood at the balcony, his hands gripping the railing, looking down. His golden mantle lay thick and heavy on his hunched shoulders, his helm put aside on a chair.

Katara took a deep gasping breath, turning to press her back to the stone pillar. She closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath. In front of her sprawled Ozai's chambers. Flashes of her time there splintered through her head as she opened her eyes. The burns. The bed. His dark golden eyes so close to Zuko's but so different. The pain he caused her rippled through her again, her back spasming as if he was burning her all over again.

"Little slave." His voice was the same in her haunted dreams. She stilled, not even breathing, as she heard the rustling of his robes come closer from the other side of the pillar. "I knew you would come back to me." She moved to stay on the other side of the wide pillar from him as he began to circle. "But now you return with my son, on the day of the Long Eclipse, with a knife to thrust in my back." Katara knew she didn't carry a knife, though she wished she did. "I'm going to give you a choice, water bender." Katara realized he had changed direction and mimicked him, almost too late as his hand snatched at where she had been. When he spoke again there was an angry edge. "You can return yourself to my chambers, rechain yourself to my bed, and lay with your legs apart for me. Or…" he paused and she paused. "Or I can roast you on a spit as my daughter kills your precious Prince before your eyes."

Or I can kill you, Katara thought. It was the only answer. Ozai would never stay imprisoned, no matter what dark hole they threw him in. She reached inside herself, finding the throb of the moon as it fully overtook the sun in the sky, and stepped out from behind the pillar to face the Phoenix King.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"Hold!" Toph bellowed. Something was coming. Dust rose in the distance and it was traveling towards the Wall, fast. Toph squinted and dug her feet deeper into the craggy rock of the wall between the Lower and Middle Rings. It was about to be on them. "Hold!" Her men were wavering but they bolstered at her voice, their faces turning stony. Min Ki rocked on his heels beside her, the only indication of his worry. "Hold." She whispered to him, and to herself. Toph was good at enemies in front of her; she didn't do great with the unknown.

"We'll hold." Min Ki murmured to her, looking at her sideways.

She glared up at him. "We better. Or your ass is grass."

He snorted and flicked his eyes back towards the oncoming blur. When it was barely five hundred feet from the Outer Wall, the dust disappeared and the ancient figure of King Bumi emerged, swinging his gnarled fists in tandem, generating a mobile slab of rock. Behind him on the moving stone crouched Iroh, Master Piandao, Master Pakku, and Jeong Jeong the deserter. They wore dark blue robes trimmed in white, as did the other figures arriving behind them on similar moving slabs.

"I know that old man." Toph grinned toothily. "Stand down. They're on our side." Min Ki stiffened at her side. "You too."

"That's King Bumi." Min Ki murmured. "He ran from Omashu's defeat and has lived in prison ever since. He's a coward."

Toph shrugged. "I'm sure he has his reasons. And if Iroh trusts him, we trust him. Got it?"

Min Ki smiled with half his face. "If you trust him, I'll trust him."

"Gee, what is this, feelings time?" Toph punched his arm. "Grow a pair and let's finish this."

Min Ki chuckled and lifted her on to his back. "Onwards to victory?"

"Onwards to victory!" She cried, pointing towards the ground and the old men peering up at them. Min Ki erected a slide to the base of the Outer Wall, shooting down it with Toph whooping on his back. They landed in front of Bumi as he ground to a halt, the members of the White Lotus disembarking and assembling before the two earth benders. Toph's blind eyes took in the sour face of Master Pakku, the serious but dancing eyes of Piandao, the laughing, snorting face of old King Bumi, and the wild hair of Jeong Jeong.

Iroh strode forward, beaming at Toph. "Miss Bei Fong."

"You're late, old man." Toph embraced him. He was surprised to find that she was as tall as he was. The last time he had seen her…it had been years. She had been so small.

"I can tell." He leaned back in her embrace to look Min Ki up and down. "Who is this?"

"I'm with her." Min Ki said, his easy smile spreading across his face.

Toph rolled her eyes. "He's my second. Best earth bender I can find." Min Ki smiled fondly at her.

"Better than yourself?"

Toph scoffed. "No one's better than me."

"I beg to differ!" King Bumi's unbalanced voice came from behind Iroh but he was ignored.

"Where is my nephew?" Iroh asked, peering up at the Wall. "And Katara?"

Toph's face hardened. Down to business. "He's going after Azula. Katara…Katara was sent to capture Ozai."

Iroh's face fell. "Ozai?"

"She can bloodbend." Toph ground out. "Don't ask me, it wasn't my idea. I could feel how terrified she was but she still volunteered herself. She thinks she needs to do this."

Iroh sighed. "My nephew is headstrong but he is not foolish. He will have a plan to take down the Fire Lord. Where do you need us?"

Toph grinned. "You really want to have some fun?" Iroh nodded. "We have an idea."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Azula danced around Zuko, swiping at him with her pointed nails. She cursed to herself that she hadn't thought to bring a weapon. Stupid. Her brother, always so serious, was winning and she was losing. It was completely unnatural. Just like that filthy moon covering the magnificent sun. She dashed across the rooftops towards the Palace, stopping once in a while to taunt Zuko, but he just kept coming, his face impassive, his swords flying in silver arcs around her. She managed to dodge his blows but couldn't land one of her own. She had noticed Mai and Ty Lee silently knock off each of Zuko's men that had followed, their prone forms falling to the streets below. She knew he was too intrigued to notice and she grinned.

"You're getting slow, Zuzu." She panted, scrambling backwards up the last rooftop, grinning inwardly. "You should have chopped me to bits long ago."

"Where are we going Azula?" Zuko growled, leaping the distance between roofs to land in front of her, glaring up into her grinning, manic face.

"We're going to see Father, Zuko." She sneered. "He's so excited to see you for the last time." She flipped up and back, disappearing over the rooftop. Zuko mounted the pointed roof and looked down at Azula, running along the streets towards what he knew was the sparring arena in front of the palace. So that was his father's end goal: watching Zuko be defeated in an Agni Kai in front of a crowd. It would be the ultimate end to any claim he had to the throne, if not his life.

He dropped from the roof, landing on his feet. He darted after Azula, knowing the Long Eclipse wouldn't last forever. His one chance was disappearing around the corner ahead of him and he followed, tense in preparation for what was ahead. The arched entrance of the arena was open, the wrought iron gate hanging on its hinges. He could hear the roar of a crowd and saw Azula standing at the far end, panting heavily, her hair tumbling out of its normally tightly wound bun. He glanced to the overhanging balcony where the Earth Kings used to watch the matches. The throne was empty; Ozai wasn't there.

He entered the arena with pride, his head high and back straight, drawing gasps and cries as he was recognized. He had decided to discard his mask for this final battle; it wasn't necessary anymore. His scar was instantly recognized and he heard a mixed chorus of jeering insults and questioning shouts. He had learned from stories like Jimoz's that he was rumored dead, killed by the Avatar and the water bender.

He looked across at his sister, staring down the arena at her, his own chest rising and falling rapidly. They stood, frozen in mutual indecision; wait for the eclipse to end or no? Zuko's instincts screamed at him to attack Azula _now_, while she was powerless. But the Fire Nation must be won or lost by fire, not by steel. The crowd was screaming at them, all sorts of suggestions and threats pouring down on them.

Zuko sensed movement behind him and he whirled sideways, keeping one sword outstretched towards Azula, the other outstretched towards the oncoming threat. It was a sea of black figures, headed by five figures in blue and white cloaks. They flowed in steadily, spreading to fill his side of the arena, lining the perimeters. They all wore masks, each a selection of blue, red, green, or yellow. They were a silent audience, standing motionless. He could see Azula turn as he did, taking in the masked, black clothed figures warily.

"What is this, Zuzu?" She cried, her voice unsteady. The Fire Nation crowd fell silent at her words, listening.

Zuko didn't say anything. He was looking to the five blue-robed figures, not sure what to say. He recognized his old fencing master, Piandao, who nodded at him with glinting grey eyes. He vaguely remembered the traitor Jeong Jeong from wanted posters and school-boy lectures. The man looked him up and down and gave a curt nod. The water tribe man also looked familiar, though he couldn't remember if he was from the North or South pole. The snorting Earth Kingdom man could only be the mad King Bumi, who Zuko had never met but knew from reputation and stories around campfires. And, of course, his Uncle, standing in front of the others, looking at him with pride and worry in his eyes, encouraging him wordlessly as he always had.

"This is the world." Zuko gestured to the masked figures around them. They remained silent as they listened as well. "These are the people who have been attacked, who have been enslaved, who have had family murdered by the Fire Nation. Their homes have been destroyed, their children captured, their land taken by a Nation not their own, under laws and customs not their own. They have been fighting, dying, and bleeding for years in defense of themselves and their homes." His raspy voice carried across the arena, and he could only hope that the Fire Nation citizens heard him. "They are tired of living under the boot of a tyrant who claims to be helping them, who claims that he is sharing the values and technology of the Fire Nation with them when in reality his only desire is for more power, more control, more _death_ in the name of progress." He sheathed his dao swords; the moon was slipping slowly from the sun and he could feel his fire coming. "The world is here to speak. To say that they are taking back what is theirs."

"And you speak for them." Azula sneered, interrupting him. "You're a disgrace to the Fire Nation."

"No." The arena turned as one to the masked figure who stepped forward. The figure wasn't clad in black like the others, standing among a large group in the same raggedy clothes, blue armbands tied fiercely around their upper arms. "Prince Zuko is the most honorable fire bender I have ever not had the pleasure of meeting." The figure stripped off his green mask, revealing the weathered face of Chief Hakoda. His blue eyes sparkled defiantly as he glared at Azula. "You and your father have wiped out my people, my culture, and kept us captive in your city for seven years." The rest of the water tribe removed their multi-colored masks, revealing brown skin and blue eyes, shining in the light of the brightening sun. "The water tribe stands behind Prince Zuko."

"That's very nice." Azula sneered, crossing her arms. "But the water tribe doesn't exist. And if it did, it would have no say in the government of the Fire Nation."

"Your words are a lie." Zuko said. "The water tribe stands before you, a people decimated by the Fire Nation." He swept his arm to encompass the entire black-clad crowd. "The Air Nomads. The Water Tribe. The Earth Kingdom. What right did the Fire Nation have to presume to be the only people worthy of life?"

"The right of power." Azula screamed, sparks flying from her fingertips. "We could so we did."

"The power you speak of is greed." Zuko cried. "Greed, avarice, and lust for lands not our own. The world needs all nations, not just one."

"The power I speak of is power." Azula taunted. "Something you know nothing about, Zuzu." Her fingers sparkled with her returning lightening. "Have you ever even been declared a master?"

"Yes." Zuko replied, removing his swords from his back and handing them to Hakoda. He stood straight as the world held its breath around him. "Fire Lord Azula, I challenge you, as the rightful heir and true Fire Lord, to an Agni Kai. For the throne."

Muttered whispers ran through the crowd but the black masked figures stayed silent. Azula simpered and moved into a firebending form. "When shall we start, Zuko? Before or after your bending returns?"

"I've changed, Azula." He crouched into his own form, bringing forth blue fire to spiral around him in flickering tongues. "You won't win."

"I won't lose." She cried, starting towards him. "I never lose, and I won't start by losing to you!"

As she darted towards him, a great and terrible voice boomed out from the balcony, bringing her to a halt and every face, masked or unmasked, toward the balcony. "Phoenix King Ozai, you will answer for your crimes against the world."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Katara's chest heaved as she stepped out to face Ozai, her heart threatening to explode from her chest in panic. He hadn't changed; he was still the monster she remembered in her nightmares. Tall, imposing, strong face with a small pointed black beard and long black hair crowned with a golden flame. He radiated heat, even during the eclipse, his dark gold eyes staring down at her with a mix of fury and hunger. She saw his eyes raking up and down her body, lingering on her mask, her hands, and her chest. She refused to flinch away from him, standing tall in front of him.

"The mask is an interesting touch." He said, looking into the dark eye holes. "I can tell it's you." He took a step toward her and she took a step back, unwittingly moving closer to his chamber. "Don't throw your life away on the crazed dreams of my foolish son. He has been deluded by my brother into believing he is correct. The world will always belong to the Fire Nation, and no pitiful group of rebels will ever change that."

"You're wrong." Katara was glad to hear her voice come out strong. "The world belongs to its people."

"Don't be stupid, little girl." Katara flinched and he saw. A smirk crossed his face and he took a step forward, forcing her back again. "This world belongs to me, and I'm offering you a piece of it."

"You're offering me enslavement." She shouted at him, taking a step forward, her hands balling into fists. She tore her mask off, flinging it to the side. She watched his eyes as they crawled along her face, drinking in the scar from her escape so long ago, the blue of her eyes, the high cheek bones. She was not the girl he had tortured years ago. "You're offering me the deaths of my people, my friends, my family. There is nothing left in the world after that. Not for me." She raised her hands, fingers spread like spiders before her. "I won't let you hurt anyone else, ever again." She shoved her fingers forward, the moon's power flowing through her. She could almost feel Yue urging her on, telling her that it was for the good of the world. Ozai stumbled backwards a step, shocked by the hate in her eyes and her sudden attack. She grabbed for his veins, feeling the blood pumping through them. The thought of his trial fled her mind, vengeance the only thing left. Ozai let out a groan of pain as she began to constrict the big veins in his neck, cutting off bloodflow. The surprise showed in his eyes as he gasped for air; surprise that she would actually kill him, that she could, that he might not win after all. That his power and reign would end so swiftly at the hands of his own little slave.

"Mom?" A small voice came from behind her.

Shocked out of her deadly fervor she turned, keeping her hold on Ozai's veins but relaxing her grip enough to allow blood flow. Kaya stood behind her, dressed in her own black clothing, a mask in her small hand.

"Kaya." Katara gasped, horrified. "What are you doing here? Go back!"

Kaya shook her head, her face scared but determined. "I'm not leaving you alone."

"What is this?" Ozai hissed, still held immobile by Katara's bending. "A half breed child." His eyes flicked from Kaya's confused eyes to Katara, and back again. "No."

"Shut up." Katara snarled, flexing her grip on his throat and making him sputter. "Kaya, please."

"You can't kill him." Katara yelled. "You can't!"

Katara stared down at her, panic and anger at battle within her. "Why?"

"Because you don't kill!" Tears ran down Kaya's cheeks as she took a step forward. "You're not him! _You're my mom_!" She was almost screaming. "You can't be like him!"

"Of course I'm not." Katara murmured.

"If you're like him, I'll be like him!" Kaya cried, a sob tearing from her throat. "Iroh told me that children are like their parents and if you're both killers, I must be no good."

"A child's logic." Ozai sneered. He shifted slightly, feeling Katara's grip lighten just a hair. "If she is of my line as she appears, she has violence in her veins."

"Shut. Up." Katara said, whirling on him, determined to end his threat here and now.

"Katara."

She turned slowly back around, her eyes widening. In front of her eyes her child morphed, gracefully flowing into the form of a young woman: the adult she would be. She was tall, with well-defined muscled arms, light mocha skin, dark hair tied in a loose fire nation bun, water tribe hair loops swaying gently in an invisible breeze. Her eyes glowed blue as she stepped forward to lay hands on her mother's outstretched wrists. The voice of the Avatar came with her words. "He is not yours to kill."

"Why?" Katara whispered, tears threatening to spill from her own eyes. "What he's done…"

"Ending his life will not undo the past." The voice said. "He has committed terrible crimes against the people of the world, but justice is not yours to mete out. If the water tribe strikes that blow, it will merely begin another war."

Katara slowly lowered her hands, bristling at the sound of Ozai's relieved sigh. The Avatar who stood before her, a future shadow of her daughter, laid a hand on her shoulder before turning to the enraged Phoenix King.

"The Avatar is dead." He roared. "What trickery is this?"

"No trickery." The Avatar spoke. She raised her hand, calling together a small tornado of pebbles, water, fire, and wind, spinning it around and around in her hand. Ozai stumbled back, steaks of inky black hair falling across his face.

"A lie!"

The Avatar advanced on him, driving him back towards the balcony. He stumbled over the hem of his robes and snarled, raising fists that smoked. "Take one more step and it will be your last."

The Avatar raised her hands, erecting stone manacles from the balcony floor. They captured Ozai's hands, enveloping his wrists in rock. She forced him down on his knees in full view of the world. She rose into the air, her small collection of elements orbiting around her. "Phoenix King Ozai, you will pay for your crimes against the world. You and your forefathers have devastated the balance of the world, and now you shall pay the ultimate price!"

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

**A.N.: **Coming close to the end now…..

To Guest: Yay! I'm glad you think it was epic :D

To storyoftheunknownfangirl: Thank you!

To Kat-Tastrophe: Ily. Lol

To Guest: Thank you!


	22. Chapter 22

_Now it's all falling down_

_Don't die on me now_

_Not tonight, not this town_

_Don't die on me now._

_**-Hostage Calm, 'Don't Die on me Now'**_

Sokka couldn't see. He could hear the voice of the Avatar, the voice that had fallen from Aang's mouth long ago. The Avatar had returned! He needed to see. He ripped his mask off and tossed it on the ground, starting a hail of shed masks that rippled through the watching crowd of black; baring faces pale and dark, eyes blue, green, gold, and brown; eyes that were scared, enraptured, fascinated, fierce in their anger. He stood among the water tribe with his father, a scattered handful of Sokka's People, and alongside the old masters who had found and freed his father. Toph had sent them, along with her tall Minky, to the prison in the mountain that she had sensed. The old masters had made short work of it, freeing the imprisoned water tribe by barely flexing. Iroh had personally escorted Hakoda through the fighting in the streets to his son, fire benders being immobilized right and left. The look on his father's face had made Sokka freeze in his attack. Iroh had caught the blow his opponent aimed at him, shoving the man back down and bellowing at him. Hakoda had given his son a fast hug as the eclipse reached its peak and the fighting came to a quick end. They had joined the rushing crowd, once Hakoda had his own mask, and come to stand together as Zuko fought for his birthright. Katara was supposed to have taken down Ozai. Where was she?

Sokka didn't look back as he stepped forward, coming nearer to Zuko than any other. He could see Ozai on his knees in front of the hovering figure, a girl. Her long black hair and tan skin reminded him of someone he couldn't place. Her glowing eyes made him shudder, remembering the times Aang was forced into the Avatar state by grief and rage. Where had she been hiding?

He squinted up at her, thinking. It had only been seven years. This Avatar looked almost his own age. Sokka didn't have time to puzzle it out as he ducked through the assembled warriors to make his way into the palace in search of his sister.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Ozai tilted his head back and shot a mouthful of fire at the Avatar. She waved it aside with a casual sweep of her hand. Her face lay serious as she looked down at him, twirling her elements through her fingers. Something flickered in her eyes and she cocked her head abruptly down, as if she was listening attentively to someone much shorter than herself that only she could hear. Ozai sneered, shouting insults at her. She ignored him, her head tilting the side as if trying to understand.

As the world held its breath below her, finally she gave a sharp nod and turned back to Ozai, sending the congealed elements back into orbit around her. "Phoenix King Ozai, descendant of Fire Lord Sozin, initiator of the hundred years war and murderer of Avatar Roku, your life has been requested spared."

Ozai relaxed the smallest inch, still glaring sneering defiance up at her. "Even with all the power in the world, you're still weak." He tried to struggle out of his bonds to no avail and let loose a flaming roar of fury. The Avatar deflected it, floating down from her airy perch to stand before him. She seemed to regard him for a moment before snaking her arms in, pressing one hand to his forehead and one over his heart. She closed her eyes for a moment before they shot back open, brilliant blue beams of light erupting from her sockets, shooting towards the sunny sky. Ozai stared blankly for a breath before red beams poured from his own eyes to join hers in a skyward rocket. The crowd below did not dare utter a sound, hearing the metallic tinning of the power in the air.

Deep in the palace, Sokka felt a shiver run up his spine but pressed on, heading steadily upwards.

In the Lower Ring, where small fights had once more broken out with the return of the sun and Suki struck down yet another firebender, soldiers from both sides halted their attacks to gaze in mesmerized fear at the beams of light, the metallic chiming reaching their ears from across the city.

Outside the Outer Wall, where the Earth Kingdom soldiers were shifting clumps of rock from the chasmed divide of the ruined structure, Min Ki lifted his head and shaded his eyes against the sun, wondering if Toph could see what was happening.

In the Middle Ring, Chi Lin stopped his mad dash across the city, slamming into a fire bender and decapitating him swiftly with twin pointed daggers as he looked up, panicked at the thought of what could happen to Kaya, and the possibilities of what could have happened to Katara. He flicked the blood from his blades and charged on, determined to be the one to slay Ozai if any harm came to either of them.

Katara, from ten feet behind the balcony, watched with widening eyes as the glow coming from her future daughter was slowly eaten up by the red glow of the kneeling man. She didn't know what it meant, but the creeping bloody crimson terrified her.

"No!" She screamed, starting forward. The scarlet was encroaching on her daughter's face, threatening to consume her fully. As it advanced further, leaving only her one eye free, her head snapped forward and the sapphire glow surged forward, overtaking Ozai and painting him blue. The beam of light from their combined glows burst into the sky, the chiming growing louder as it speared upwards, brighter than even the brilliance of the sky.

It faded slowly, the pealing dying before the light. Ozai keeled over in his bonds as the Avatar, eyes still a vivid cerulean, straightened and withdrew her hands. Her chest heaved as she turned from him to face the assembled warriors.

"What…what did you do to me?" Ozai gasped, his bonds melting back into the balcony. He tried to stand but collapsed to the side, his eyes rolling in his head.

The Avatar slipped on the mask Kaya had had in her hand, painted with the four representative colors of the nations, and addressed the world before her, her many voices reaching even the Outer Wall. "I have removed Phoenix King Ozai's fire bending." A shocked murmur went through the crowd, black-clothed and fire nation citizens alike. "He has no claim present or future to any position of power. In his place will rise the true Fire Lord." She inclined her head towards Zuko and turned from the balcony, shouts and cheers at her back.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

With every step she took towards her mother, she diminished in size and age until she stood before Katara as her true self, the blue glow fading from behind her mask. She swayed on her feet, falling forwards into Katara's outstretched arms. She hurriedly removed the colorful mask, revealing Kaya's snoring face, her mouth slack, sounding exactly like her Uncle Iroh. Katara let out a sob of relief, clutching her daughter tight.

"You little bitch." Ozai was on his feet, staggering towards her. "You took my bending." He stumbled to his knees, rising painfully. "I don't need fire to end your life."

Katara could only watch as he came closer, staggering like a drunkard. She clutched Kaya to her, ready to rip his throat from beneath his head. A black blur shot out from behind her, striking Ozai over the head with a heavy pommel. He dropped with a grunt, eyes closing as he sprawled across the floor. Katara sat stunned.

"Are you unharmed?" Chi Lin's whispering voice was anxious as he looked down at them, offering a hand to help her up. She took it, slinging Kaya's body across her shoulder.

"How-" They both turned at the indignant squawk from behind them. Sokka stood panting, his sword naked in his hand, glaring at Chi Lin. "How did you get here before me?"

"I knew where to go." Chi Lin gave him a half smile.

Sokka's eyes turned to the snoring girl on Katara's shoulder. "She's the Avatar, isn't she."

"Yes." Katara breathed. She remembered how she had felt when no one had told her, and felt a twinge of guilt.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sokka's voice was sad, hurt. "Don't you trust me?"

"I didn't know until we were in Ba Sing Se already." Katara murmured, casting her eyes down. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to send it by hawk."

"No. No, that's right." Sokka conceded, relaxing slightly. His face lit up and he glanced excitedly at Katara. "We found dad!"

Katara beamed, about to exclaim her joy when Kaya went rigid in her arms. Katara leaned her back, cradling her like an infant to see her face. She looked up at her mother with confused, sleepy eyes before they flashed blue. "He needs you." And it was gone, leaving only Kaya.

Katara sat frozen for a moment, then handed Kaya to Chi Lin, the man dropping his knife to the ground to take her. Sokka picked up the knife as Katara ran from the room, her soft boots making no sound on the hard tile.

"Where are you going?" Sokka called after her.

"Do not leave her alone, Sokka! Protect her!" She yelled over her shoulder as she disappeared from view.

Sokka turned to Chi Lin who shrugged, offering Kaya to Sokka. The water tribe man shook his head. "She knows you better." He said ruefully. "Let's find somewhere safe." He looked down at his sleeping niece and his face softened. "This war isn't over yet."

Chi Lin nodded, shifting the child in his arms so he could recover his knife from Sokka's hand. He slid it into his sheath as the crowd roared below them. "Not yet."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Azula could feel her world crumbling around her as the Avatar turned her back. Her father: stripped of his power and humiliated in front of the world. She, the rightful Fire Lord, snubbed by the ultimate power while her pathetic brother was held up as an honorable hero. No, no. It was all wrong. They were traitors, all of them. They had all turned against her. Her eyes narrowed, scanning the crowd for her two allies, her only true friends. Where were they? There. They looked back at her from behind their bonds, their limbs strapped down by tight ropes, mouths covered by strips of cloth. But they weren't fighting. They weren't struggling, trying to escape. They merely looked at her. Traitors. They should be giving their lives to stand at her side. Treason. They would be banished as soon as she struck her brother down.

Her brother. Her eyes went to him. The idiot was standing with his fists open at his side, gaping up at the balcony. He lowered his head and she could see the relief, the triumph on his face. Their father had been devastatingly disgraced, their _nation_ had been disgraced, and he was _smiling_?

Her fury burst forth in a storm of blue fire, forcing the black-clad traitors backwards, catching her brother unawares. He leapt away, crying out as his black clothing caught fire and he shrugged out of it hurriedly, discarding the smoking shreds.

"Agni Kai, brother!" She screamed, sending another burst of fire towards him. He spun out of the way gracefully, sending bursts of fire balls towards her. She skipped out of the way. "Or had you forgotten?"

"Give up, Azula!" He yelled, but he didn't fire back at her, just stood waiting like a moronic cow.

"Never!" She screeched, her fire bursting erratically from her fingers. "It is my throne!"

"No." His voice was calm and it infuriated her. There was even a hint of sympathy; for what? For her? "It's not."

She saw an opening, a hole, a flaw in his stance and she shot a controlled burst of flame to him, striking him in his knee. He would never be as good as her. He cried out and went down, his injured leg crumbling beneath him. The black clad crowd cried out but she ignored them. She saw her Uncle striding toward Zuko and shot at him too, knocking the old man off his feet into the crowd. Now even the fire nation citizens began to murmur; traitors all of them. She sent a breadth of fire twelve feet across at them, sending them scattering like the treasonous little swine they were. Her mad eyes took in her brother, struggling to stand, blood pouring down his shin. Now, now strike, she thought.

She summoned the power inside her, the lightening crackling all around her, its sparks sending the black clad vermin further back, their cries delightful music to her ears. He wouldn't even see it coming. She focused what was left of her coherent thought into sending the lightening in a jagged arc towards his struggling body.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Time seemed to slow for Zuko. He could see the lightening leave his sister's fingertips in a jagging, bending arch, coming straight for him. He could feel that he would be too slow to dodge. He saw the warriors jump back, their faces screwed up with fear. He saw Katara's father looking the other direction, not at him or Azula, but somewhere in the middle, his face a mask of terror above the rest. He didn't have time to turn his head, only his eyes, to meet the blue eyes of the girl running, her dark braided hair flying behind her as she looked at him for less than a blink, then back towards the oncoming lightening, her hand stretching out as if to touch the dazzling pretty light. He couldn't stop her, couldn't even exchange his life for hers, couldn't move fast enough even without an injured leg to keep her from doing what she was about to do.

The lightening jolted through her outstretched hand, pumping through her body. She was spun around from its force, knocked backwards. Her eyes connected one last time with his, lit from within by the electricity.

The cry tore ragged from his throat. A guttural, primal scream of denial. The pain vanished from his leg, replaced by a dragging force, leading him to her side. She crackled and fizzed with the voltage, her body convulsing violently. He didn't want to see the burns, the blankness of her blue eyes. He could hear Azula's mad laughter and knew he wouldn't have much time, but the rest of his mind screamed that he couldn't leave her, wouldn't leave her. Not like this. It couldn't end like this. Not with her broken and bloody on the ground.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

She wanted to tell him it didn't matter, that her life was nothing compared to his. That she would lay her life down every time if it meant he would live forever. But there was no time. He needed her. She shoved her way through the crowd, knocking her comrades aside, hearing their calls and feeling their grasping hands trying to pull her back. But _he_ needed her.

She kept her eyes on him, knowing it would be the last time in this life she saw him, and could only hope the spirits would see fit to reunite them in the next. She saw his golden eyes flick to her as the crack of Azula's lightning shattered the air, saw them widen as he realized what she was about to do. Then all she saw was the lightening as it filled her veins with fire and sent her spinning to the hard ground. The pain was something she had never imagined, like being prodded by a hundred hot needles over and over on every inch of her skin. A dull coolness overtook her body as she lay on the ground, black creeping around the edges of her vision.

She couldn't move her eyes. She needed to blink, she thought. So dry. Through the gathering blackness she could see the blurry face of her father standing over her, but she couldn't hear him. Iroh joined him, and Zuko, Toph. She couldn't tell them goodbye. She hoped they knew she loved them. That her life was nothing compared to keeping theirs safe. Kaya…she wished for Kaya. But she was safe. Better she stay where she was, safe.

His was the last face she saw. She wanted so desperately to lift her hand to cup his cheek but she was so tired, so quickly. Her arm was too heavy. She wanted to tell him…not…to give up…to stand…and…fight….

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

He began to shake her as he sat crouched beside her. Maybe if he shook hard enough, her blank, staring eyes would blink and she would smile at him and sit up. He felt like his soul was cracking in half, tearing down the line between him and Katara. She needed to wake up, to look at him. A blast of lightening knocked him back from her body, throwing him into the crowd. Gentle hands propped him back up and he turned to face his sister.

"You gonna cry, Zuzu?" Azula mimed wiping tears. "You're pathetic. A water tribe peasant whore has to save your life."

Zuko roared, his fists igniting with blue flames. "You killed her!"

"Like she's the first." Azula scoffed, her eyes darting around the arena, searching for an escape route. There was no victory for her here. Even if she did win the traitors would eat her. She'd banish them all. Banish them to the desert. To be eaten by wasps. "She's just another girl, Zuko."

"No she isn't." Zuko charged, trying to keep his anger in check, his hurt at bay, trying to focus his scattered, shattered thoughts. His sister skipped around him, laughing. A thought came to him, an insane idea. He sent out a hoard of fire tendrils, drawing inspiration from the mass of water whips Katara had generated under Ba Sing Se. They were controlled, smooth, with only small licks of fire playing around their lengths. They encircled Azula from all sides, herding her away from the onlooking warriors. She spun, snarling, her eyes frantically searching for a hole. Zuko wove a firey net above and around her, drawing it close enough to trap her.

"No!" She screamed, stretching her hand out only to snatch it back as she was burned. "No! No, no! Zuzu, you can't do this!" She began to panic, slumping to the ground to lay her head on the ground , trying to slip under the net. Zuko flicked his eyes to Toph, standing nearby, and jerked his head. She nodded and stomped her feet, creating stone manacles that locked a sobbing Azula to the ground, encasing her hands in a seamless rock prison.

Zuko lifted the net, dissipating it into the air. Azula was defeated, but it felt hollow. All around him the black-clothed warriors broke their silence to let out a cheer: Ozai was stripped of his power, Azula was defeated. Zuko had won the throne of the Fire Nation. The war was over.

Zuko looked back around to see Katara's body gone. Hope sprung through him for a moment until Toph laid her hand on his shoulder.

"They took her to the Avatar." Toph murmured. "Hopefully in time to heal her."

Zuko nodded, knowing he should feel relieved, happy, but he could only think of Katara and how she could be lying in pain or worse.

"Try to at least look happy." Toph said, Min Ki and Denali coming forward to stand beside Zuko as the black masses pushed in, all the fire benders who had stood with Zuko eager to congratulate their new Fire Lord, the thought of Katara's tragedy fading from their minds.

Zuko looked upwards, drinking in the blue sky lit by the golden sun. The war was won. Now what?

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"There you are, my nephew."

Zuko raised his head at his Uncle's voice, setting aside a scroll from Kyoshi island. The warriors had offered to temporarily serve as his bodyguards until the tensions between the nations of the world calmed down. He had just dipped his brush in ink to reply.

He sat in a breezy stucco room in the Fire Nation palace medical wing. The windows took up most of the wall space, green leaves and vines creeping in to crawl up the walls. White, luminous curtains blew in the warm breeze. The majority of the room was taken up by a large bed, piled high with pillows.

"I'm always here."

"I know." Iroh sat beside his nephew in the open-sided room at the small table he worked at. "It is not healthy."

"I want to be here." Zuko murmured, his voice raspy. "When she wakes up."

"I see."

He glared at the old man. Iroh looked away from him to the form of Katara lying in the large bed. She looked as if she were asleep, her chest rising and falling steadily.

"What did the healers say, nephew?" Iroh picked up a scroll with an unbroken seal and opened it, skimming over the words inside. He looked up when Zuko remained silent. "Nephew?"

"She's well, in body. The water bender healers got to her in time." Zuko's voice was just above a murmur. "But her spirit…is gone."

"Hmmm." Iroh frowned. "Grievous news, my nephew. What are their thoughts on her future?"

"Uncertain." Zuko rasped, rolling up his reply to Kyoshi, inviting them to join their leader Suki in the Fire Nation. Hakoda, Sokka, Suki, Toph, Min Ki, Chi Lin, and Kaya were all staying with him in the palace and had been for the two weeks since he won the throne. He could tell they were getting restless and were anxious to return to their homes. Kaya had been scampering around the palace, sticking her nose into every room, pursued doggedly, though patiently, by Chi Lin. He refused to let her out of his sight, and they often stopped by to see Katara. Kaya would leap into bed and tell her mother all about her day. Out of all of Katara's friends and family, she was the least concerned, despite Zuko and Sokka's grave words on the matter. She would ask when Katara was coming back as lightheartedly as though she were away on holiday, and Zuko would have no words for her.

Zuko had deployed Jimoz, Motzu, and young Kai to the colonies in the Earth Kingdom a week ago to keep the peace between the fire nation citizens who had been living there for years and the earth villagers who had always lived there. There hadn't been outright fighting yet, but tensions were running high as the Earth Kingdom anticipated the complete removal of all fire nation peoples. Zuko had received their first reports the day before, and read good things: cooperation, understanding, and mutual respect were prevailing, though some had become rowdy.

Denali, sporting a broken arm and a scar across his eye from his encounter with Mai, had taken Sokka's People and the freed men and women of the water tribe across the ocean on one of Zuko's largest ships. They told him they would first stop to rebuild the South Pole before making the journey north. He had given them supplies and provisions for the trip, sad to see Denali go. The man had stood stony face by Katara's bed, and had asked Zuko for a letter when she woke. Zuko had agreed, requesting the same for when the water tribe returned home. Denali had nodded curtly and left. Sokka later told him that Denali planned to return to the Fire Nation after the water kingdoms were rebuilt, feeling that his place was with Zuko. And Katara. Zuko had told Sokka to offer Denali the ambassadorship for the North, as Sokka took the one for the South.

Zuko stood, wincing at the pain that lingered around his knee from Azula's fire. It was tightly bandaged and gave him a funny limp. It was his only major wound. He was lucky. So many had died from all nations. Bae, Romjak, Kamol, Kozan, and Master Piandao were among the fallen. Countless more nameless faces had been laid out before him when the fighting had stopped in Ba Sing Se. The caves where Romjak's people lived had been burned out by Ozai's troops. Romjak had died in the first wave, Bae at his side. They had saved many, their deaths buying time for reinforcements to arrive.

Kamol had died in Sokka's arms, his wounds bleeding too fast for the water benders to heal. He had been cut down by one of the Rough Rhinos, set out from the palace by Ozai. Sokka's People had rallied to drive them back, unseating them and detaining them like the others.

Kozan had been pushed to his death by Mai, landing wrong on his neck. No one was sure how Piandao had been slain. His body had been found after the Agni Kai in the Middle Ring. Sokka had wept over his body, while Zuko stood stony-faced above him.

So much heartache. He thought to himself as he walked away from his Uncle that sometimes the overall tragedy was forgotten in the stories, the legends that came from long wars. The deaths of Kamol, Romjak, Bae, and Kozan would not be remembered in fifty years except by those on the battlefield that day and those who were alive because of them. Master Piandao's teachings would live on with his students, but even he would fade from the world's memory with time.

Azula had struggled herself to exhaustion in her bonds and had been removed to the tower dungeon along with her father. While she lingered in a half conscious state, Kaya had visited her and performed the same justice that she had on Ozai. She had worn her World Mask, as she called it, and had stripped Azula's bending from her, leaving her as powerless as her father. When the former princess had awoken fully, she had screamed and lashed at the bars of her cell, demanding to see Zuko. He hadn't visited her yet. He wasn't ready.

Zuko walked out from the walls of the palace, snagging a bread roll from the table on his way, to the small courtyard his mother used to take him to, where the turtleducks still made their nests in the shallow, reedy water. Kaya sat at the edge, dipping her small hand into the water. Chi Lin rested with his back against a narrow tree not far away, one eye closed with the other on Kaya. He started to stand at Zuko's approach but Zuko waved him back down. The poor man must run over twelve miles a day chasing after his small charge. He needed every bit of rest he could manage. Chi Lin nodded to him gratefully and dozed off fully, confident in Zuko's ability to manage Kaya.

As Zuko's presumed daughter, she wore a small golden flame in her hair. The Fire Nation wasn't sure what to make of the mocha skinned, golden eyed little girl. It was assumed Katara was the mother, and she was most certainly not of the Fire Nation. There had been political alliances before, but it was between Princes and Princesses not directly in line for the throne before the Hundred Years War and out of living memory. Zuko's advisors were scrambling to find the records, hoping it would help settle the public's worry. At the worst, Kaya would be declared illegitimate and sent away, and Zuko would need to father heirs with his Fire Lady, whoever she may one day be. The thought rankled him. He only wanted Katara. Kaya would never hold the throne, regardless of what was decided. She was the Avatar. It was known only by Zuko's closest allies, but would one day be known throughout the world.

"Hi father!" Kaya exclaimed, shaking her hands dry before embracing him. He smiled, hugging her back. "Has mom come back yet?"

"Not yet." Zuko said, his voice suddenly raspy. "What are you doing?"

"Meeting the turtleducks." Kaya chimed, breaking away from him to return to the water. Zuko looked, but saw no turtleducks. Kaya noticed him looking. "They were just here."

Zuko snorted. "You have to feed them." He produced the bread from his robes and handed it to her. she looked at it quizzically. He sat beside her, not noticing that his robes dripped into the water and were smudged by grass and dirt. After seven years of living as a beggar, living in one place and maintaining clean clothes was taking getting used to. "Here." He broke the bread down the middle, handing half back to her. He tore little pieces from the soft middle and scattered them across the water. No turtleducks appeared. Kaya looked at him with a pout. "Just wait." A small, downy head poked out of the reeds and quacked. The mother duck swam forward, snapping up the crumbs with her bill. A small line of ducklings followed her, chirping cheerfully as they captured their own crumbs with their bills.

Kaya giggled with delight as the swam close to her, following the trail. She stretched her hand out to run a gentle finger across the head of the smallest duckling. The mother quacked sharply and the duckling swam back to her.

"When will she be back?" Kaya asked.

"I don't know." Zuko murmured.

"Well, I think it's time for her to come back." Kaya said decisively, tossing the rest of the crumbs to the turtleducks and standing. "C'mon, father."

Zuko looked up at her confusedly but allowed her to take his hand and lead him back into the palace.

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

**A.N.: **Hope you all don't hate me too much Q.Q Thank you to all of you who have favorite and followed this story. I hope you review!

To Guest: Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it :D

To storyoftheunknownfangirl: 3 !


	23. Chapter 23

_Without a soul my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold_

_Until you find it there and lead it back home._

_**-Evanescence, 'Bring me to Life'**_

Kaya was tired of waiting for her mother to come back. It had been far too long in her young opinion. She knew her father was worried more than he should be by the way he gripped her hand as she led him through the halls to her mother's bed.

The healers were flocked around her when they entered, murmuring in soft tones as they dripped honey and herbs down her mother's throat. Kaya knew they were puzzled as to why she wasn't wasting away in her bed. At the Fire Lord's approach they bowed and backed away, granting them access. Kaya hopped up on the bed, ignoring their hushed reprimands to not disturb her.

"Please go away now." She ordered firmly. They looked down at her strangely before turning to her father for confirmation. He nodded solemnly, his eyes on Kaya. They took their leave with a rustle of robes, shutting the thick wooden door behind them.

"Kaya…"

"Give me your hand and sit beside me." Kaya instructed, holding her hand out.

Zuko raised an eyebrow about being told what to do by a child, Avatar and his adopted daughter or not. He stripped out his outer robes and sat across from her in the simple pants and long belted tunic he had worn for the last seven years. Kaya nodded approvingly and took his hand in hers, grasping his fingers tightly.

"Take her other hand." She told him as she picked up her mother's loose hand. Zuko did as instructed. "Ready?"

"For what?" Zuko yelped as Kaya's eyes glowed blue and it felt like he was being consumed by electricity as he stared into them. The strangest sense of being _pulled_ descended on his body and with an ethereal 'pop' he was free, floating in the air above his body. "What?!"

"Just hold on." The woman in front of him was not his daughter, but the young woman he had seen defeat his father. He looked down to see himself as the sixteen year old banished Prince from seven years ago, his red clothes trimmed in gold and black, pants tucked into his pointed boots, his hair falling in his eyes. He shouted wordlessly in shock. "This is how you still think of yourself." The Avatar said. "Do not let go or you will fall."

Zuko nodded mutely as they began to float up and away, leaving their bodies and Katara and the room behind. He watched the world around them blur as they picked up speed but he felt nothing more than a light breeze ruffle through his hair. They sped towards a circular door and crashed through it, emerging into a world that Zuko could only describe as being…brown. Brown trees grew from brown water, covered with brown vines that spouted brown leaves. The sky was even a golden brown, lit from a sun hanging obscured behind the horizon. Brown rocks erupted from the water to serve as a sort of stepping stone path from the rise where they stood to the other side of the…pond? Lake? He couldn't tell. The brown forest seemed to stretch onwards in all directions, becoming dark and dense the farther he looked. It echoed with bird calls and the callings of unknown creatures.

Kaya, her eyes still glowing faintly, handed him a mask. "Put this on."

He looked down on it, startled to see a nearly perfect replica of his first Blue Spirit mask, only it was colored gold-trimmed red and was split in half. The half that was missing obscured anything behind it, making it look as if his hand was missing.

"What-?"

"Please." Kaya slipped on her own mask, the one painted with the colors of the world. "And whatever you do, do not let it out of your grasp."

Zuko nodded and obliged, feeling like he'd look like he'd have half a face. He caught his reflection in the water and noticed that he did; half of his face appeared as the red spirit mask, the other…didn't exist.

"Come." Kaya pulled his hand again, and he watched as she began to shrink until she was his Kaya again. She led him across the water and into the forest, ducking around vines and climbing up hills. Coming to a log perched across two stones that served as a bridge across a wide river, he picked her up and perched her on his shoulders, her now-small hands gripping his hair for balance.

Zuko felt relieved that they hadn't come across any of the things that were making noise in the distance. He saw large, shadowy forms cross in front and beside them in the trees, but none bothered them. His feet made no noise on the brown, dry grass beneath them, and a peaceful warm wind blew around him.

Finally, up ahead loomed an enormous tree, it's above ground roots taller than Kaya from where she sat on Zuko's head. He was trying to think of how they'd get around when the root directly in front of them shuddered and gave a great groaning noise as it pulled itself up enough to allow them to crawl under. They looked at each other and Zuko set Kaya down and they crawled on their hands and knees through the created tunnel, hearing human voices on the other side.

Kaya crawled faster, emerging before Zuko. He had just gotten his foot through when the root crashed back down, shaking the ground beneath him. He shot a glare over his shoulder at it before standing, brushing himself off.

"You really shouldn't glare at it." A familiar voice said and he looked up. "It was kind enough to let you through."

"Avatar?" he gasped, incredulous.

"Aang, actually." The boy in front of him gave a small smile. He looked exactly how Zuko remembered him: big stupid arrow on his head, large grey eyes, orange and yellow clothing. His glider was beside him on the ground, folded up. "The current Avatar is over there." He nodded to where Kaya was embracing a girl clad in blue, a half-mask like his beside her, only hers was blue. An elderly woman sat on one side of her while a younger woman, also in blue, sat on her other side.

"Katara." He breathed.

She looked up, and he saw that she was as young as he was. She was the girl he had chased across the world so many years ago, her hair loopies and braid back in place, her fur-trimmed water tribe clothing patched and frayed like it had been. The girl she had been before his father, he realized, guilt and hurt striking him deep in his core. Her blue eyes lit up when she saw him and she ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck, one hand clasping her half-mask. He saw it was a deep blue trimmed in silver, and matched his.

"You look so young." She said, her head pressed against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair.

"You're not one to talk." He murmured. She felt so _real_. "How could you tell it was me?" He still wore his mask.

"I always know when it's you, silly." She let him go and led him over to where Kaya sat chattering at the older woman. "Gran gran, mom, this is Zuko."

They both rose, warm smiles on their faces, but they did not speak. Just regarded him with blue eyes so similar to hers.

He bowed low from the waist, his hands forming the honorable gesture of deep respect. "It is my honor to meet you."

They returned his bow, their eyes crinkling up as they smiled at him.

"Mom." Kaya's small voice was hesitant, sad. "It's time to go home."

Katara's face turned anxious. "Kaya…I…I'm not sure."

"Please." Kaya pleaded, embracing her mother around the waist. "I need you."

"You have Zuko." Katara said, petting her hair and regarding her half mask reluctantly. "I'm not ready…"

"Katara." Zuko stepped forward and she looked at him so heartbrokenly that he felt his own ache in response. "Please."

"Katara," A new voice broke in, turning their heads to face Aang. "It's not your time yet. You have so much life ahead of you, so many new adventures." He laid a hand on her shoulder, looking at her firmly. "Don't give up just because you think you're happy here. You can have an eternity with them, when your time comes."

"How can you ask me to leave them?" Katara cried, gesturing at her mother and grandmother, tightening her grasp on Kaya. "I didn't even know Gran Gran had died until I got here! To go back to that world of pain and evil and hate…"

"It's over, Katara." Zuko murmured, stepping closer to her. "Please, the war is over. Come home. This is not where you belong."

"Where do I belong Zuko?" She cried, tears beginning to leak down her cheeks. The spirits of her mother and grandmother came forward to lay a hand on her shoulders, their faces mournful.

"With me!" He cried, leaning his forehead against hers. "With Sokka and Suki and Toph and my Uncle. With us!" He touched Kaya on the head and she added her nod to his words. "There's so much left to do…we won the world Katara, but now we have to fix it." He clasped her head in his hands, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I can't do it without you." He whispered.

Still seeing that she was caught between the two worlds, he removed his mask on impulse. He lifted her hand that held her own mask and fitted the two together, red matching blue, gold matching silver. She sobbed, seeing the perfect fit.

"We belong together." He murmured. He tried to pull them apart, and felt resistance. With an insistent tug he separated them, but it came back whole, his mask fading into a deep purple, silver and gold swirled together on the trim. Katara's was the same, identical to his down to the intricate scrolling along the edges. They stared at them as the spirits around them gave their approving nods. "Please, don't leave me alone."

Katara looked at him; he could see her decision written on her face, and then he was flying backwards; shoved by an invisible force. He shouted but it was lost among the roaring in his ears as he felt himself tumble over and over until he landed in his own body, falling backwards off the bed to the stone floor below. He sat up, cursing and rubbing the shoulder he had landed on, relieved to find himself in his adult body. He heard a squeak from the other side of the bed and leaped up to catch Kaya's arm before she tumbled backwards. She grinned up at him and looked to where Katara still slept.

Still slept. She had decided to stay. Zuko sat hard on the bed, disbelief coursing through him. She had left him behind to stay in the spirit world. He turned away, eyes downcast with grief. Kaya likewise looked distraught and shook her mother's shoulder. Zuko pulled her into his lap and hugged her, trying to comfort her as she began to weep.

A low groan came from the head of the bed and he turned. Katara was sitting up, pressing a hand to her forehead and blinking. "Zuko?"

He and Kaya both launched themselves at her, knocking her back down. She laughed and it was music to his ears. "Katara." He murmured, running his fingers across her cheek, over her brow, against her silky eyelashes. "You came back to me." Kaya cleared her throat. "To us." He amended gently.

"You went to the spirit world for me." She whispered into his inky hair. "You must really like me or something."

Zuko grunted and grabbed the back of her head, drawing her up to him in a fierce kiss, reassuring himself that she was real, alive, his. "Or something."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

The healers had warned that she would be weak for a time, but Katara was never one to listen to other people when it came to herself. She had insisted on walking herself to the dining hall, brushing aside all those who tried to help her. Zuko was not one of them. He had learned his lesson when he had tried to help her out of bed and she had punched him in the nose for his trouble. He walked serenely beside her as she limped and staggered her way down the hallway, clutching at the wall briefly at some points. One eye was trained on her as he tried to look nonchalant, but he was wincing inwardly at every trip or stumble. She cursed quietly to herself, but by the time they reached the table she was composed and walking well enough to convince everyone but Toph.

"Doing alright there, Sugar Queen?" Toph asked, a mocking edge to her voice. "Need a little more firewhiskey?"

"I'd like to see you lie in bed for two weeks and not have problems!" Katara snapped back, levering herself into a chair.

Toph chuckled to herself. Min Ki, seated beside her, shook his head affectionately.

"What?" Toph barked at him. He just shook his head again and turned to his other side to engage Chi Lin in conversation.

Chi Lin had been very annoyed to find Kaya and Zuko gone when he awoke in the courtyard, but Zuko secretly thought he was angrier that the turtleducks had carried off both of his shoes and he had yet to find them. He was once again glued to Kaya's side, escorting her everywhere she went.

Katara smiled as the stiffness ebbed around her; her friends returning to their normal selves now that they were assured she was alright. Zuko sat at the head of his table, Katara to his left and Chi Lin to his right. His Uncle took the other end of the table, flanked by Sokka and Suki. They all still wore bandages from the final battle, sported new scars, fading bruises lining their eyes. Her face fell for a moment, remembering how many they had lost.

When the food began to appear, Sokka stared as, for the first time in his life, his sister ate more than him at the dinner table.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

He was sitting up against the headboard, stroking her damp hair away from her face, his face peaceful. She lay with her head in his lap above the covers, closing her eyes against his gentle ministrations. Sex with him had felt different; a little more uncomfortable than the usual bliss. But it had ended the same, with her calling his name as she came while she rode him, his face upturned to hers as he reached his own climax. She had tumbled down to lay beside him, her breath coming in quick pants.

"What do we do now?" She murmured, running her finger in small circles against his covered knee.

He stilled. It was the question on all of their minds. It had gone unspoken among them, though he supposed their friends talked about it to each other. He had been waiting for Katara to wake up, trying to put his country back together again, directing his soldiers, doing his best to keep the peace.

But they were restless and far from home. After what seemed like a lifetime of war, and for them it had been, they were lost, unsure of what the next mission was, the next enemy, the next threat.

"We could go to sleep." He replied, his voice low as he trailed his fingers gently down her naked back, skimming along her spine.

She punched him in the thigh and he winced. "That's not what I meant."

"I know." His voice was raspy. He wriggled down until he lay on his back beside her, one arm going under her head to pull her onto his chest. She winced as he pushed against her still-tender healing scar. It was a wide red mark on her breastbone, branching out to cross her shoulder in spiderweb-like fingers. He had been told it was common for those struck by lightning to have such scars but they unnerved him. His father and now his sister had both marked her skin, marks that would never fade. "But I don't have an answer for you."

She nodded, bending her arm to cup his cheek as she spread her knee across his legs. "What do you and I do now?"

He kissed the top of her head. "We could get married. I could adopt Kaya. You could stay." His voice sounded almost wistful, as if it were a dream so far out of his reach he could only hope to glimpse it.

Katara nodded, hiding her frown from him. "Would they allow that?"

Zuko shrugged, holding her tighter. 'They' were his council of Fire Nation nobles and generals who had sworn allegiance to him after the war ended. He had removed all the councilors loyal to his father and ousted the bloodthirsty generals who had conducted his fathers' genocide missions. They were to stand trial for war crimes in the coming year. For now they rotted in prison alongside their former Fire Lord. "Does it matter?"

"I don't want to be the cause of another war." Katara whispered, petting his ear with her hand.

"It wouldn't come to that." Zuko said. "I could always abdicate to my Uncle. He was supposed to be the Fire Lord, not my father."

"You've spent your whole life pursuing this." Katara exclaimed, rising up on her elbow, giving him a wry smile. "You want to give it away already?"

He frowned at her. "It's not giving it away. Uncle is well known and respected. He's experienced. They would trust him to rebuild the country. And in ten years or whenever he was ready, I would ascend the throne as his rightful heir."

Katara shrugged, sinking back down. "It's your throne, Zuko. I trust you to do what's right."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

"The day after tomorrow." Toph said decisively, Min Ki nodded beside her.

The group, 'Team Zuko' according to Sokka, was seated around the table for breakfast. Talk had turned, now that Katara was back with them, to future plans.

"That's really soon, Toph." Katara said, surprised.

The blind girl shrugged. "It's great here, really, but I miss my home." She laid her chin on her fist. "Actually, I miss moving. I don't really know where I call home except the road."

"Sokka and I feel the same way." Suki added, grimacing at the meal in front of her. Her stomach had been delicate for the past couple weeks, rejecting most meats and spices. "We can't decide if we should return to Kyoshi or the South Pole first. So we're just going to travel for awhile."

"I thought you were going to stay with for the warriors, Suki." Katara said, confused.

She shook her head. "They have a new leader now." She smirked ruefully. "I have been gone for almost eight years…" She sighed. "After being in that cell…I don't want to stay cooped up for too long. I'm almost claustrophobic."

"I understand." Katara murmured. Zuko had ordered Ozai's old chambers stripped and refurbished, but she still felt uneasy living under the roof where he had tortured her. The palace had too many painful reminders for her. "What about you, Chi Lin?"

"I will stay with the Avatar." He replied, his whispery voice making it sound like it was the obvious answer. They waited for him to elaborate but he didn't, and returned to slurping his hot klah.

"Erm…" Sokka began to break the silence. "Toph, do you guys want company?"

She opened her mouth to answer but Iroh interrupted her.

"I think we are overlooking an important matter." He said, his deep voice serious. They faced him, questioning looks on their faces. From the head of the table, he was thrown back in time to the only moment he could remember them all being together before the comet: when Azula had attacked him with lightning. They had all rushed to his defense, and as he lay on the ground, he could make out their concerned faces all turned to him, just as they were now. He smiled to himself. "The training of the Avatar."

They all leaned back in their seats. What to do with Kaya. She sat beside her mother, her face propped up by her two fists as she struggled to stay awake, her jaw hanging slack. She was half asleep.

"We could have instructors brought to the Palace." Zuko contemplated, brushing his hair out of his eyes. It was undignified for a Fire Lord to leave his hair down, but he felt strange doing it among his friends. "The best in the world."

"The best in the world sit around this table, my nephew." Iroh intoned, meeting the eyes of Toph, Katara, and Zuko. "And they are about to return to their homes."

Conversation and opinions broke out. Zuko was all for putting them up in the Palace, but they argued back that there was a world to fix, and most of the damage lay outside of the Fire Nation. Katara sat silent in the midst of the argument, her eyes on her daughter beside her. Thinking.

"She needs to see the world she's a part of!" Sokka argued. The rest had died down, having no more points to make. Min Ki was murmuring softly in Toph's ear, trying to calm her with Iroh looked on with a concerned face.

"She also needs her mother." Zuko replied, glancing at Katara out of the corner of his eye. "And she'll be here."

"Zuko…" All eyes turned at her quiet word, seeing her downcast eyes and guilty posture. She looked at him, tears threatening to spill over. "…I can't stay."

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

**A.N.: **Hope you guys still don't hate me! The scars I was talking about for Katara are called Lichtenburg scars and look really interesting.

Only two chapters left! I can't decide if I'm going to be really evil or not…two options for the end and I like both :/ Murr.

Thank you all for your reviews and favorites and follows! You guys rock.


	24. Chapter 24

_I still need love 'cause I'm just a man_

_These nights never seem to go to plan_

_I don't want you to leave, will you hold my hand?_

_**-Sam Smith, 'Stay with Me'**_

Zuko grumbled to himself as he rummaged through the drawer. It was ridiculous that he, as the Fire Lord, would be doing this himself. He was covered with dust, his hair had fallen out of its topknot hours ago, his royal robes lay discarded by the door for their own protection.

He understood why she wanted to leave, he really did. Katara would never be content to sit still as long as there were people out there who needed her, especially her own people. The South Pole was in grievous need of water benders and she was the best. Even Pakku had admitted to that, she told him. And he had understood that. She knew what the village had looked like and had the ingenuity to imagine what it should look like. She had told him she missed the snow, the cold, the penguins. And he had understood that. He had noticed the way she flinched when certain servants walked past her, how she avoided certain hallways, her total avoidance of the third floor. And he had understood her fear. What he couldn't understand was why she had to leave so soon.

Zuko swore as he pricked his thumb on something buried in the mass of scrolls he was digging through. He popped it in his mouth and continued to use his other hand to blindly muddle through. His father had kept so many seemingly useless pieces of parchment, odds and ends, and scrolls and they had all been dumped down in the bowels of the Palace in an unused scullery closet. It was musty and dark, the only light coming from a candle Zuko had brought and lit himself. He needed something to distract himself and was certain that the object he was searching for had been in his father's possession.

Katara was avoiding him. She had been since the dinner the night before when she had tearfully announced that she couldn't stay and would be returning to the South Pole with Kaya to rebuild and to begin Kaya's instruction in water bending. It was an ideal training location: water everywhere. Zuko had taken the decision in silence, risen in silence, and left. In silence. Katara had not joined him in his chambers that night and he had been thankful. He needed to think.

She wanted to leave. After everything they had been through, everything they had said, promised, been to each other was being thrown out the window. And he couldn't even try to change her mind. If he did, and was successful in convincing her to stay, she would resent him. And if he was unsuccessful, she would still resent him just for trying.

He knew he was still technically young, in the eyes of the world, but his body and spirit felt old. Zuko knew who the only person he would accept as his Fire Lady was, but the Nation needed to catch up. The world needed to be ready. If he remained unmarried and heirless, the debate over the line of succession would start a civil war. He also knew that the absence of a wife and heir was what had lost his Uncle the throne to his father. He had time, years, before he should need to think about his future family. But he also suspected that the only thing keeping his counselors from offering up their own daughters, sisters, nieces, aunts, and cousins was Katara's presence in the Palace and his ongoing attention to her. Once she left…he'd be defenseless.

He sighed to himself and rocked back on his heels. His father would have kept it somewhere, if only to taunt her with it. Damn him. But where? His eyes roved around the small room, landing on a shiny black lacquered box sticking partway out of a large carton of what looked like his father's socks. Grimacing, he stretched over the piles and piles of parchments and grasped it, tugging it out. He examined it in his hands: it didn't look like something that would have belonged to his father. It's corners were rounded, the black gloss paint faded from time. Cherry blossoms that he suspected had once been a bright red were inscribed across the top in an artistic swirl, framing the character for 'luck.' A large dent was chiseled into the bottom corner, like someone had smashed or thrown it hard. A brass latch, smaller than the tip of his finger, kept it closed. Zuko flicked it open, peered inside, and frowned. It had definitely not belonged to his father, but his mother. Inside were a small painting of their family, a dried cherry blossom, several turtleduck feathers, a very shiny bead, a pebble, a thimble, and a small length of braided rope. His and Azula's childhood presents to her. He sat down hard, picking each one up and examining it. He remembered giving most of them to her, though the bead and thimble were from Azula. As he put them back in, the little divider rattled. He experimentally pulled on it and it released, a small cloud of dust rising with it. Underneath was a hidden chamber, its contents sparse. There was just a small painting of his mother standing beside a man not his father and smiling, their hands entwined, and a length of blue ribbon wrapped around a turquoise pendant.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

She wasn't avoiding him. She really wasn't. She just didn't want to see that pain, that bitterness, that hurt in his eyes just yet. Katara had found a quiet place, finally. Kaya had been running along the railing of the upper level of the palace, using her air bending to keep her balanced and it was making Katara too nervous to watch. Occasionally Kaya's eyes would go blue and she would nod as Aang instructed her in air bending. She left Chi Lin to watch her and retreated to find solitude.

Katara sat on the windowsill of what had been her sickroom, looking out over the garden below. The sill was big enough for her to sit without fear of falling, the breeze blowing around her was warm and smelled of the sea. She inhaled deeply, trying to remember the last time she had been near the ocean. Almost seven years ago, she thought sadly. She longed to dip her toes into something besides bath or pond water. A river would even be fine. But the ocean called to her, making her miss the waves, the salt in the air, the changing of the tides, even the screaming sea birds that flocked along the shore.

Soft footsteps stopped outside the heavy, iron-barred door and she turned her head to listen. The door was slowly pushed open and the footsteps padded towards her. She didn't bother trying to hide behind the curtains: he could always find her. The thought made her quirk her lips sideways as the Fire Lord sat across from her on the windowsill, one leg dangling over the ground far, far below. She didn't ask how he had found her. She didn't ask him anything, just sat looking out over his country, his home, allowing her outstretched leg to gently nudge against his hip. He laid a warm hand on her ankle and mirrored her gaze, taking in the sun-kissed land below them.

Zuko looked over at her, admiring the sight. She wore a colorful assortment of clothing: a soft red shirt, dark blue pants tucked into high orange and brown boots, green scarf tied around a single braid coiled around itself in a loose bun, loose wisps pushed behind her ears. Her eyes were turned longingly towards the sea and he felt her departure coming closer and closer. She was bathed in sun, warming her skin and giving her an overall glow. Had her breasts gotten bigger? He shook his head. Not what he was there for. Well sort of…hopefully. No. He cleared his throat and she turned to him, her blue eyes still full of the sea.

"Katara…" He didn't know how to start. How to say what he felt in a way that was sincere and well-crafted. He felt that she sensed his hesitance and moved closer to him, hanging her legs out the window to sit closer to him. His fingers began to draw circles on her ankle as he thought. "I know you have to go."

"You could come with me." She interjected, turning her eyes to the ground. "Kaya and I, we both want that."

She was going to take credit for his revelation, he knew. "It won't be forever."

She nodded sadly, then frowned up at him. "What won't?"

"My abdication."

Her eyes widened as she realized what he was saying. Her grin split her face in half as she launched herself at him, panicking him for a moment as he thought they'd both tumble out of the window and that'd be the end of everything right there. "Zuko!"

"Katara." He pushed her back gently to look in her eyes. "I refuse to be apart from you. But this…can be only temporary."

She didn't respond, only lunged forward to press a kiss to his mouth. "So you're going to live in the South Pole with us?"

Zuko grimaced. "If I have to."

"You do." Katara kissed him, running her tongue along his lips. He opened his mouth to her, their tongues stroking and feeling along each other. "But it'll be okay. I'll be there to make it better."

"Mmm." Zuko murmured, gathering her in his arms and carrying her to the bed where she had lain spiritless for weeks. He plopped her down, standing between her knees as she sat on the thick mattress, craning her neck to reach his lips. Her arms went around his shoulders, her wrists looping on the back of his neck. His hand rested on her hips, the weight of his decision lifting from his mind as he stroked up and down her ribs. He deepened the kiss, leaning down on her, laying her down on her back as he hung over her. She widened her knees, allowing him to sink between them above her on the bed.

He was lowering his hand to remove her light shirt when the door banged open. Suki stood in the doorway looking frazzled. Zuko groaned, and hung his head, staying in his position above Katara.

"Katara!" She cried. "I need to talk to you." She strode over; Zuko noticed her red nose and wet eyes; she had been crying. "Alone."

Katara shoved at Zuko's chest but he wouldn't budge. She glared up at him and shoved again. He sighed and backed off of her, shooting a sideways glance at Suki as he walked out. As he shut the door, he heard Katara softly ask what happened as Suki sat on the bed.

He leaned against the doorframe, trying to decompress. He let out a hot breath of smoke, trying to think of something besides Katara's body pressed up against him, his lips on hers…and failed. He groaned.

"You're WHAT?"

He jumped at Katara's yell through the thick door. He pressed his ear to the wood, trying to look nonchalant as a group of chattering servants walked past him.

"Oh, Suki! I'm so happy for you Sokka!"

He heard laughter and then a lot of muffled talking. So Suki was…what? Pregnant? Engaged? What?

"Do you guys have any names picked out?"

Ah. Pregnant. Sokka must be excited. He loved kids. He started to leave when he heard footsteps approach the door and it opened.

"Sokka doesn't know, don't tell him."

It closed again. He hadn't even seen Katara's face. Zuko sighed. He had worked so hard to find that necklace and the perfect moment had just slipped through his fingers. Maybe Toph would be up for a sparring match…

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

The party was nowhere near as big as his coronation would be, but it was still big enough to make Zuko feel socially inept. Most of the attendees were intoxicated water tribe warriors who had come to the Fire Nation with Sokka, the remnants of his People, and Zuko didn't know how to start a conversation with them. He skulked on the edges of the party, talking to the few Fire Nation nobles who had been invited or the officials who had invited themselves. Sokka and Suki didn't mind, they were too busy getting congratulated and, in Sokka's case, drunk. Zuko could see the fear return to his face after every greeting. Suki was at the center of a knot of women, all talking incredibly fast as she smiled and nodded, occasionally running a hand over her stomach. The room had been lavishly decorated, paper banners of blue and green entwined together to symbolize the joining of the families hung on every wall and doorframe. A table with appetizers and finger food stood mostly empty by the door, surrounded by several guests.

As he wandered back around the perimeter of the room, swishing his drink in circles, he realized he couldn't find Katara. She wasn't clustered around Suki, not near Sokka, not with Toph…he couldn't see her either. He subtly slipped from the room, breathing a sigh of relief as he left the noise and the awkwardness behind him. He clasped his hands behind his back and slowly strode through the halls of his Palace, looking for Katara in her usual hiding places.

He passed Toph and Min Ki in Azula's old room, very much interested in only each other, empty bottles of fire whiskey forgotten on the bed side table. Min Ki had Toph in his lap and was gently undoing the ties on her shirt as she left bruising kisses on his neck.

Zuko quietly pulled the door to the room closed, wincing as it latched.

"Thanks, Sparky." Her voice was muffled through the door, but still made Zuko cringe.

He tucked his hands back behind his back and continued further into his Palace, emerging in the courtyard. The sun had set hours ago and torches had been placed to light around the edges of the garden pond where the turtleducks made their home. The water shimmered with reflected star and torch light, glowing in the dark night. A solitary figure sat by the edge of the pond, her legs folded beneath her, blue skirts spread around her. She had pulled her elaborate braid out, her hair tumbling over her shoulders to her elbows, restrained by the simple blue kerchief she had worn in Romjak's camp. Her hand was trailing circles on the surface of the water, sending ripples across to the other side.

He sank down beside her, frustratedly arranging his royal robes so they stayed out of the water. She smiled at him, her blue eyes sparkling and dancing in the torch light.

"I hope the tribesmen aren't being too rough on you." She teased. "Pregnancy announcements are really big back home. They can last for days."

He grunted in reply and she laughed. "What are you doing out here?" He asked.

She looked down. "It just got a little loud." She gave him a small smile. "My stomach started hurting." In truth, her stomach had been hurting for weeks. She had felt so tired she just needed a cool place to be alone. But with him was better. It always was.

"Oh." He sidled over until his shoulder was pushed against hers. "Katara-"

"Zuko-" She blushed as she interrupted. "Sorry! Go ahead."

He smiled at her, nervously she thought. It took a lot to make Zuko nervous. "Katara, I have something I want to give you."

She perked up and sat straighter beside him. He shrugged out of his outer robes, wondering if, as Fire Lord, he could decree that they were a nuisance and no longer have to wear them. He kneeled up in front of her, smugly noting her confused and wary look. "My Uncle will be coronated as Fire Lord tomorrow at noon. Because I am his heir, they won't pressure him to find a wife." He raised his eyes to hers. "But they will pressure me." A faint frown crossed her face. "No matter where we go in the world, it will be on the mind of the Fire Nation. One day I will assume the throne, but until then," He clasped her hands in his, pressing the small box he held into her palm. "my life is mine. And they can't tell me who to love."

Katara opened the small box, setting the lid the ground. Inside lay her mother's necklace, its blue ribbon intact and glimmering. She gasped as she ran a finger over the stone, her other hand covering her mouth as tears sprang in her eyes. The stone wasn't the same her mother's had been: it was split in half with a carved, curving line. One side was the same turquoise, embellished with the sign of the water tribe while the other was a dark red, engraved with the spiraling flames of the fire nation.

"Zuko…"

"I'm sorry if you don't like it." He blurted, a light pink tinging his cheeks. "I still have your mother's stone, if you want to put it back."

"No." She whispered, lifting it from the box by the satin ribbon. "It's perfect."

He took the necklace from her hand and motioned for her to turn around. She presented him with her back, lifting her long hair off of her neck. He draped the ribbon around her neck, fastening the clasp securely. He turned her back to face him, feeling a swell of pride at the sight of the pendant nestled in the hollow of her throat. "Katara, I don't ever want to be without you by my side."

"I never _want_ to be far from your side." She whispered, throwing her arms around him and pressing her mouth to his. "I'm yours." She brushed her lips against his forehead. "And you're mine."

"Forever?" His eyes were searching hers, probing. His fingers went to her hair, pushing loose strands behind her ears and stroking it.

She grinned at him. "Longer than that, Zuko."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Whoever was knocking so incessantly on his door was about to get their teeth knocked in Min Ki thought as he stretched and wound his arm tighter around the strong, thin, naked girl beside him in the large bed. Her hair was spread across his face, tickling his nose. He inhaled deeply, smelling Toph, dirt, and firewhiskey all at once.

"Answer the damn door, Minky." Her voice was groggy and irritated, muffled from where her face was pressed against his chest. "And then get your sweet ass back here so I can spank it again."

"I think you are remembering the night differently than I am." He purred, nipping the tip of her ear as he rose gracefully. She wriggled under the blankets, resting her face against the warm spot he left. He slipped on a pair of loose pants, letting them hang low around his hips. Ignoring Toph's low catcalls, he made his way to the door and opened it hard, startling Sokka on the other side.

The water tribe man had his fist poised to knock again, his eyes wide as he took in the rumpled Min Ki, the sheet-swaddled naked Toph behind him, and the many bottles of firewhiskey on the floor. He cocked an eyebrow. "Rough night?"

"In a sense." Min Ki smirked.

"Well…" Sokka began. He seemed to suddenly notice his fist still hanging in the air and dropped it, rubbing the back of his neck. "You guys missed breakfast. And the big announcement."

"What was that?" Toph called from the room.

"Zuko and Katara are engaged." Sokka grinned as Toph sat up, sheets pulled up over her chest, and Min Ki smiled lazily. "Officially anyway, as of last night. Not according to the Fire Nation, of course, because they're a bunch of traditionalist jerks, but in water tribe custom they are. He gave her a necklace."

"Ooh, that's fancy." Toph stumbled out of bed tangled in the sheet and scooped up a scattered assortment of clothing before heading towards the bathroom. "Did he go all out and get her earrings too?"

Sokka glared at her through the walls, Min Ki retreating from the doorway with an affectionate glance towards the bathroom. "It's our custom, Toph." Sokka called.

"Water tribes are all backwards." Toph said, emerging. Her hair was still a rat's nest, but her hands were busily twisting and pinning it into control. "We propose marriage with a shiny rock on a metal band. You might have heard of them: it's called a ring!"

"It's too cold in the South Pole for metal on fingers, Toph!" Sokka argued. "It'll freeze to your finger and tear your skin off!"

"That's romantic." Toph made a face. "So a carved pebble on a string does better with the not-freezing-skin, huh? What's Kyoshi's custom?"

Sokka blushed. "They exchange fans." He muttered. "But anyway, the coronation is happening in three hours and we need to be in place in two."

"And you're the timeliness police?" Toph scowled. "You're not going to have attendants descend on me are you?"

"About that…" With a facetious smile, Sokka stepped aside to allow the four waiting women to enter. "Have fun! See you an hour before noon!"

Her threats and curses rang in his ears as he retreated down the hall.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

Katara and Suki opened the door to Suki's room to find a troupe of approaching women, garments and grooming utensils in their hands. The lady in front stopped and bowed low before entering.

"Greetings, my ladies. My name is Sunli, and we are here to prepare you for the coronation ceremony." She was an older lady with greying hair, but a sharp eye and a quick step.

"Oh, of course." Suki glanced at Katara as they moved aside to let the troupe in. "Please come in."

"Thank you, my lady." Sunli marched past, her four girls following her. "You two," she gestured. "may take the Lady Suki." They bowed and escorted Suki to the washroom. "Lady Katara, will you permit us to work with you?"

"Of course." Katara smiled warmly. "Um, where…?"

"We can return to your chambers, if you wish."

"That might be for the best." Katara agreed. "Please, lead on."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

An hour later she sat, freshly bathed and perfumed, as Sunli ornately braided her hair, twisting fire lilies among the strands. One of her girls was polishing Katara's toes as the other was prepping her formal robes.

"Thank you again for doing this." Katara murmured. It felt strange, being fussed over like this. She was no lady of the Fire Nation, she was Katara of the Water Tribe. Six months ago her entire bathing ritual had taken ten minutes in a cold stream by herself and served only to wash the dirt off. She couldn't wait to get back out on the road, not worry about what she looked like all the time, smelled like, ate, picked her teeth with. Until she was back among people she could trust, that she knew cared about her, that she cared about. For spirit's sake, she wanted to move! To feel the road fade away under her feet, to watch the world go by. To meet different people, sleep under the stars, find her own food. She wanted to be free again. She was restless. But at the same time, she felt tired in her body. Like she had been awake for days or riding ostrich horses for hours.

"Of course, my lady." There was a knock on the door and Sunli rose to answer it. Katara heard voices at the door, and then Sunli returned. "My lady, would you like refreshments?"

Katara turned her head, careful not to mess up her hair. A servant with a tray of snacks and small drinks stood in the door, his eyes cast down. Katara smiled at him and Sunli. "No, thank you." Her stomach turned over at the thought of eating anything. She wished it would stop being finnnicky; it'd been that way for a while.

Sunli pursed her lips and sent the servant away, resuming her place behind Katara to put the finishing touches on her hair. "My lady…" she paused, glancing at her girls. They silently rose and exited, shutting the door behind them. "…perhaps it is not my place, but…have you eaten anything today?"

"Some fruit at breakfast." Katara shrugged. "I haven't been hungry lately."

Sunli clicked her tongue. "And how have you been feeling?"

"Tired. Kind of."

"And…my lady, when was the last time you bled?"

Katara couldn't remember. She tried to think, but it must have been…Ba Sing Se. "No." She whispered. "I've been…travelling. Fighting. It's only been…four weeks of peace. It hasn't had time…" But she knew. It had been the same with Kaya: the tiredness, the stomach upsets, the urge to move.

"My lady." Sunli tied her hair off with a silken ribbon and moved to stand in front of her, kneeling so they were at eye level. "It might be safer to conceal this child until you and the Fire Lord have left the Fire Nation."

"Why?" Katara asked.

"There are…certain customs that are observed in the Fire Nation." Sunli managed to tell her without sounding condescending or righteous. "In times of war, these customs are of course set aside, as men and women in battle have certain needs and the Nation is well aware of that. However," She frowned. "A Fire Lord's child, or future Fire Lord as the case may be, must be recognized by the fire sages if it is to be counted as an heir. And for that to happen, the Fire Lord must marry the child's mother, though it does not matter when."

Katara felt like her world had been turned sideways. A child. Another Kaya, maybe. And it would be half Zuko, and half her. And a future Fire Lord. If they were to marry in the tradition of the Fire Nation. If the Fire Nation would _allow_ them to marry, she thought spitefully. If her father would allow her to forever leave home for the nation that had killed her mother, enslaved the world, and taken her captive. She sighed.

Another knock came at the door. Sunli rose, with a worried glance at Katara's stony face, and answered it. Katara saw her bow low out of the corner of her eye as Zuko entered, looking regal in his ceremonial robes. His red robes were cinched with a black and gold belt and crowned with a set of winged shoulder blades. A high red collar trimmed with gold reached almost to his chin, and his hair was swept into the traditional topknot. He smiled warmly at her.

"Thank you, Sunli."

The woman looked at him sideways for a moment, Katara was still only in her dressing robe, before she bowed and left.

Zuko crossed and stood behind Katara, running his hands over the flowers in her hair. "You look beautiful." He murmured.

She smiled at her lap. "I'm not even dressed yet, Zuko."

"Doesn't matter." He said, crossing to stand in front of her. "I like you best in nothing."

She snorted. "Well, you're going to have to wait for that."

"I'm the Fire Lord." He whispered in her ear. "I can do whatever I want."

"You're the Fire Lord for another hour and a half." She laughed, watching his face sour. "Then you're the Crown Prince again."

"I've been the Crown Prince for most of my life." He said, turning to make sure they were alone.

"I know." She said. "Are you sure you want to do it this way?"

"I'd rather do it with you on your knees." He whispered in her ear, his hand lowering to cup her breast, his thumb passing over her nipple. She wondered suddenly if she should tell him before the coronation, but thought better of it. He would be completely distracted. And what he was doing felt too good…

"Zuko, you'll mess up my hair." She gasped, pushing her chest into his hand. "And your robes are all on, and…" She lost track of thought as he knelt to wrap his lips around her nipple, suckling gently. She moaned, her hands moving to clasp his head to her.

"I'll be careful." He murmured, his voice vibrating against her. He spread her robe open, revealing her body to him. His eyes took her in appreciatively; had her breasts gotten bigger? Her dark nipples were hard, rubbing against his palm. Her stomach had a slight bump to it, her plump lower lips pressing against the chair beneath her.

Katara slid from the chair so they knelt across from each other at eye level. "I'm afraid to rumple your robes, your majesty."

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling them together. "_You_ never need to call me that." He growled, nipping her neck. She squeaked and kissed his ear. "Where do you want me?"

She let out a breathy moan at his words. "Inside me."

He groaned, running a finger across her slit, feeling her already wet. He lifted her in his arms, sitting with her in his lap on the bed. He turned her so they faced each other, his hand running up her spine to grip the base of her neck from behind. She gripped him tight with her knees, pressing her body up against his. His free hand gripped her rear, kneading and gripping as he dipped his head to recapture her nipple with his lips. She groaned, gyrating against his thigh.

As the grip on her neck eased up, she leaned forward to press her lips to his neck, finding his jugular and sucking.

"Katara." He growled, lowering his hand from her neck to fully grip her rear end as his hips reared up under her.

"I won't leave a mark." She whispered against his skin, grazing the base of his neck with her teeth.

He groaned. "I want you. Now."

"Take me. Now." She groaned back, pushing through his robes to wrap her hand around his shaft.

His hips bucked uncontrollably as she pumped him slowly with her hand, twisting her fingers around the head. He buried his head in her neck, mirroring her actions on his own. Katara didn't really know what she was doing, but as his cock twitched under her fingers she thought she might be doing something right. She felt a bead of precum on his tip and touched it, spreading it across his head.

He jerked up under her with a growl, biting her neck. She gasped and stroked harder, faster. "Katara…"

She brought her head back to lock her mouth to his, prying his lips apart to nudge his tongue with hers. As her tongue entered his mouth, he lifted her up just slightly to lower her down onto his hard cock. She moaned against his mouth as he entered her, the angle different from any she had felt before. She squirmed, wiggling her hips from side to side. He gasped into her mouth, his tongue stilling against hers. She grinned and wiggled again, feeling him stiffen under her, his hips thrusting up into her. She moaned, cupping his face with her hands, running her tongue along his teeth he moaned, gripping her rear with strong fingers. He held her still as he began to thrust hard into her, pounded her slit with his cock. She moaned loudly as he sank his teeth into the fleshy junction of her neck and shoulder, stilling inside her, fully sheathed. She flexed her muscles, tightening around him.

Zuko groaned, wanting to move but feeling so good just to be inside her. He drew a hand back from massaging her rear to lay a hot thumb on her clit, tapping against it. She clenched, gasping, feeling hot waves of pleasure course through her at the touch. He grinned and languidly resumed thrusting, keeping his thumb on her sensitive nub. She came as he was inside her, shouting out as pleasure rippled through her. He began to pound faster, feeling his own climax approaching. She lowered her head to sink her own teeth in to his neck and he gasped, the harsh bite sending him over the edge into orgasm. He jerked out, spilling his seed on her stomach.

"I love you." He whispered, his breath ragged and raspy.

"I love you too." She kissed him, dropping her hands to his shoulders. She started to push off of him to stand but he gripped her close, hugging her to him.

"Katara," He murmured against her shoulder. "you're mine."

"I'm yours." She whispered back. "And you're mine too."

"I'm yours." He echoed. "Forever."

"Longer than that, Zuko."

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

**A.N.: **Yay! Not so evil, right? Maybe next chapter….or the one after. Muahaha.

To Kat-Tastrophe: Tee hee! You tell her!

To G0d3ss0fD1sc0rd: Thank you! :D I love the story of Orpheus.

To storyoftheunknownfangirl: Thank you! I hope you liked it

To Guest and Guest: I might write both, but I think I found a compromise Thank you!

To Chalie: I thought that was a good opening for her to die too, but I recently read a book where the main character died at the end and it made me really angry and sad and I just couldn't. Thank you!


	25. Chapter 25

_You can reclaim your crown_

_You're in control_

_Rid of the monsters inside your head_

_Put all your faults to bed_

_You can be king again_

_**-Lauren Aquilina, 'King'**_

Katara felt as if everyone should be able to hear her heart beat as her brother took his place beside her on the dais. It was pounding through her ears, pumping her veins with hot blood. She peered out to the side over the gathered masses of the people of the world. They stood in long, columned groups in the massive courtyard in front of the Palace, arranged by nationality. Her own people were a sea of blue in between the dark green of Ba Sing Se and the lighter green of Omashu as the red mass of Fire Nation citizens stood to the left of the courtyard.

She smiled at Sokka and Suki on his other side. They looked wonderful. He was wearing formal water tribe robes of dark blue, trimmed with silver fox fur. His new boomerang glinted on his belt, his boots were well polished, and his hair was returned to the style she remembered from years before: shaved on the sides, the rest pulled back into a warrior's wolf tail. He looked so much like her father it made her ache to be on the way home. Suki was elegantly dangerous in her Kyoshi uniform, complete with face paint. Katara remembered how short Suki's hair had been the last time she had seen her dressed like that. She wondered absently if she'd cut it that short again. Several other Kyoshi warriors stood at intervals along the walls as Zuko's added security, their eyes constantly darting back to the face of their former leader, almost as if they were in disbelief of her presence. Suki stood straight and tall, her eight fingers clenched into fists, and did her best to look proud and aloof.

Across from them, Toph stood between Min Ki and Denali, who had arrived just in time for the coronation the night before. Sokka had told her that he had doubled back halfway to the North Pole when the hawk announcing the coronation had reached them, taking the small dingy and a small group of Sokka's People back to the Fire Nation. She had been warmed at his devotion to his promise to return. He was the ambassador for the North, she supposed. He should be here.

Toph looked grouchy in her formal garb, a silken green and white kimono-styled work of art, embroidered with dogwood blossoms and badgermoles. After Toph had left her parents and the flying boar of house Bei Fong behind, she had taken the symbol of the badgermole for her own. Min Ki was similarly attired, with embroidered badgermoles snarling on his chest. He stood straight with his lazy smile, though his eyes roved constantly to all the unfamiliar faces of the Fire Nation delegates and the Kyoshi warriors.

Katara herself felt regal in her blue robes, Zuko's necklace concealed beneath a high collar of soft fur. A lambskin full of water hung on the wide silver belt that rested snugly around her waist, matching the intricately stitched silver designs across her bodice. Her sleeves were full and fluid, billowing around her arms to end in white cuffs. Her hair, thankfully unmussed by Zuko's earlier…affections, was still intricately braided with fire lilies. Her stomach fluttered at the thought of his mouth on her nipples and she fought to keep a massive smile from her face.

Beside her, Sokka fidgeted and tugged on his collar. "When does this thing start?"

"Once Zuko gets here." Suki whispered, slapping at his hand. He put it at his side, looking appropriately chastised. "Stand still."

Katara took a shaky breath of air. Once Zuko did, eventually, arrive she would be standing the closest to him, besides the Fire Sages and his Uncle, of course. Zuko had decided not to inform the rest of his friends and allies about his choice to abdicate to his Uncle, preferring to reveal his plans to the entire world at once. Katara was worried about how they would take it, especially Denali and the Kyoshi warriors. Half of her hoped that they would come with them, but the rest of her really hoped they wouldn't. She was looking forward to travelling like they had before: just their group. But allies were useful, especially in the uncertain post-war world. She shrugged mentally. They would work it out.

She heard movement from behind them on the dais and saw the Kyoshi warriors move away from the entrance to make way for Zuko's escorts. Kai, looking as if he was struggling to match the serious faces around him, marched at Zuko's side alongside Jimoz and Motzu, their armor buffed to a glistening shimmer. Iroh walked a step ahead of Zuko, his face grim. He had taken a lot of convincing to agree to Zuko's plan, or so he had allowed Zuko to believe.

_He had come to Katara after his talk with his nephew. She had expected him to pour tea, sit her down, and tell her how this was a bad idea and how Zuko was making a mistake. The tea had been poured, but Iroh had winked at her. _

"_My nephew is still very young to be a Fire Lord." He had begun. "Despite our travels, he has not yet seen all of the world, a quality very lacking in his father. A Fire Lord needs to have understanding, a view that encompasses not only his nation, but the entire world. There is only one Fire Lord, while there are several Earth Kings and three Water Tribe chieftans. He is responsible for an entire culture, and must lead with experience and wisdom. My nephew…" He had paused, frowning. Katara had hid a giggle. "is very passionate. He has compassion and a strong sense of what is wrong and what is right. But he still has far to go. I believe the decision you two have made is the right one. And I will be honored to take the throne in my nephew's place until he returns."_

Katara watched as Iroh passed by her, the old dragon turning his head slightly to wink at her. The fire sages passed a step behind him, looking old and crotchety, and then there was Zuko. The sight of him took her breath away. He looked every part the Fire Lord, bedecked in burgundy robes with gold borders, a black and gold sash spilling from his waist. Black shoulder blades erupted from his shoulders, their pointed edges shimmering with gold. His long hair was brushed to perfection, coiled into a perfect topknot. She noted that while Iroh's hair was unadorned, Zuko worn the smaller flame crown of the crown prince. She could tell that Sokka had caught that also and elbowed him in the side as he started to say something. Zuko caught her eyes and a million emotions flooded through them to her: fear, hope, love, admiration, and nervous excitement. She tried to convey through her own eyes that she believed in what he was about to do, that she loved him too.

The crowd roared as he stepped forward, his Uncle moving to his side. Zuko raised his arms, and the crowd quieted.

Zuko surveyed his nation, the thousands of faces below him in the courtyard, and the millions more that waited beyond the walls of the Palace. He didn't feel as nervous as he thought he would. Instead a strange electric charge shot through him, a confidence inspired by the knowledge that he was doing the right thing, what he was meant to do. "The war is over." His words brought a resurgence of cheers from the crowd. "I promised my Uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation. And I will. The road ahead of us is challenging, a hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path, and begin a new era of love and peace." As he spoke, a ball of energy landed beside him, sending a blast of air in all directions. Kaya unraveled herself from the crouch she had landed in to stand at Zuko's side, looking serenely out over the gathered masses as they shouted in surprise at her appearance. Katara shifted uneasily. She hadn't liked the idea of revealing her daughter's identity like this. "The Avatar is young." Kaya glared at him. "She requires training." He lifted his head high, preparing himself for what he had to say. "I have decided to postpone my ascension to the throne in order to travel the world as an ambassador for the Fire Nation, and as the Avatar's fire bending master." The crowd roared again. Katara couldn't tell if it was in anger or approval. "My Uncle, who has always been the rightful Fire Lord after my grandfather Azulon's death, will be crowned as Fire Lord with myself as his heir." The crowd died down. Most of them knew Iroh by reputation as a just, wise general of the war, a champion of the Fire Nation, and as one of the heroes who had ended the war. He was obviously older, more experienced. From behind Zuko, Sokka made a sort of strangled noise as Toph chuckled.

Zuko stepped aside, standing next to Katara. Her fingers twined around his, out of sight of the Fire Nation. Iroh stepped forward, his face composed.

"People of the Fire Nation," He nodded his head. "People of the Water Tribe. People of the Earth Kingdom." He bowed his head to each nation. "Avatar." He bowed from the waist to Kaya, who returned his gesture. "I am honored to serve as the Fire Lord, and together, my nephew, Crown Prince Zuko, and I will bring balance and harmony to the world, and the Fire Nation."

He knelt, his fists planted in the stone of the balcony before him. The fire sages approached and gathered around Iroh. They removed the large, golden fire crown from its box and placed it into Iroh's topknot, crowning him the Fire Lord.

"All hail Fire Lord Iroh!" They intoned, stepping back to bow low as Iroh rose.

And the crowd cheered.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

_The smell of your skin_

_The taste of your kiss_

_The way you whisper in the dark_

_Your hair all around me_

_Baby you surround me_

_You touch every place in my heart_

_Oh it feels like the first time_

_Every time_

_I want to spend the whole night_

_In your eyes_

_**-Lonestar, 'Amazed'**_

Min Ki found her in Azula's room, changing out of her fancy robes to prepare for Iroh's post-coronation gathering. He felt like he was watching her transformation from Toph Bei Fong, rich socialite, to Dread Commander Toph, sacker of Omashu and liberator of the North. Slowly she turned back into his Toph, the one who picked on Sokka, slept with mud between her toes, ate strange food, and laughed in the face of danger.

"See something you like?" Toph snapped, turning. She stood only in her underclothes, her arms crossed under her breasts. He admired her form, noting the lingering bruises discoloring her pale skin, the bandages that concealed healing wounds on her arms and legs. He also saw her muscled legs, trim waist, and breasts that she thought were small but he thought were perfect. He thought all of her was perfect.

"You." Min Ki replied, stalking slowly towards her. She twisted under his gaze, feeling his heart beat slow and steady.

"You…you just always know what to say, don't you." She said, trying to sound tough and nonchalant as his hands descended on her shoulders, his thumbs rubbing circles on her neck. She raised her foggy eyes to his, feeling his heart beat speed up as her hands rested on his chest. "I don't understand why…"

"Why what?" He murmured, drawing her forward so her arms were sandwiched between them, his hands cupping her face.

"Why you like me." She whispered. "I'm…I'm rude, I'm bossy, I curse a lot, I'm not pretty-"

"You are pretty." Min Ki interrupted her.

"I can tell when you're lying."

"Am I?"

"…no."

"You know I always tell the truth." He languidly traced the outline of her face with a long finger. "You're beautiful. You're a leader. You're strong. Smart. Funny." He smirked. "There's nothing not to like."

"You could have any girl." She blurted, lying her forehead against his chest. "A girl that can see."

"You can see more of me without eyes than someone with perfect sight." He tipped her chin up, making her face him. He also loved how tall she was; he didn't have to stoop. "Toph, you're perfect."

"No, you." She whispered, raising her lips to his. He wound his hands into her perfectly styled hair, tugging out the pins and letting it fall down her back in an inky curtain. Her hands reached up around his neck, tugging herself against him, her bare stomach brushing against his robes, his legs encircling her.

"Toph," He murmured, breaking their kiss. "This isn't a fling for me." He closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers. "If it is for you, I…I don't think I can handle it."

"It's not." She whispered. He was scaring her. Min Ki was invulnerable, flippant, aloof. He was her right hand, her trusted second. "But…what do you want?"

"To stay with you." He replied, running his knuckles down her face. "To fight at your side. To warm your bed at night."

Toph laid her head on his chest, hugging him. "I'd like that." She grinned toothily. "Minky."

Min Ki looked down at her fondly and slapped her gently on the rear. She jumped and glared up at him, trying to pull back from him but he held on to her, slapping her again. She squeaked and he grinned. He picked her up bodily and laid on the bed, setting her on top of him, riding his hips.

"What was it you said about spanking me?" He smirked toothily at her as she growled down at him, ducking her head to capture his lips with hers.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

_A hundred and five is the number that comes to my head_

_When I think of all the years I want to be with you_

_Wake up every morning with you in my bed_

_That's precisely what I plan to do_

_**-Jason DeRulo, 'Marry Me'**_

"And then he just throws it all away!" Sokka ranted, flinging his robes from him in a shower of blue, heading towards the bathroom. "We fight and we walk like, six hundred miles, dodge fireballs, and then he just gives it away! I mean, come on! The Fire throne! He-" He heard a soft sniff from the bed. "Suki?" Sokka asked softly as he turned back from the washroom. She was crying. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She sniffed, her tears drawing lines in the white face paint she was halfway through removing. "No. I don't know."

"What's wrong?" He sat next to her on the bed, not sure if he should put his arm around her or not. "You're ruining your makeup."

"I'm taking it off anyway." She muttered. "I'm just…Sokka, I'm scared. I don't know if I'm ready for this."

"Hey, me too." He put his arm around her, leaning her against his shoulder. "I keep thinking, I'm too young. There's still a lot I want to see, to do." Suki nodded, running the back of her hand against her nose. "But then, when I think about it, I realize that all that stuff, I want to do it with you. I want to travel the world again, see the things I haven't. I want to be a father, start a family, teach my son how to hunt, to fish, to build a fire. And I know we're kinda starting at the wrong end of that, but we can travel the world and show it to our children."

"Children? Plural?" Suki sniffed, a small smile crossing her face. "Jeez, Sokka, I'm only twenty two."

"I know, I know." Sokka looked down at his lap, thinking about what he had planned, all the preparations he had put in place for later, and decided to discard them. "Suki, I want to enjoy the world without war. But I think the only way I can do that, is with you." He stood and crossed to the chest of drawers, opening the top one and rummaging through his socks until his hand closed around a small, sealskin bag. He handed it to her without ceremony, sitting back down beside her as she opened it. "The stone was my mother's; Zuko gave it to me after he carved one for Katara. I…I haven't had time to carve you one, so I hope this works until I can."

Suki withdrew the blue stone fastened to a dark green ribbon, more tears leaking from her eyes as she held it up. "Sokka…"

"Suki," He kneeled in front of her, laying his hands on her knees. "I want to bring you into my tent."

She looked at him. Then she snorted. "Bring me into your tent?" She started laughing. "Sokka, you don't even have a tent!"

He blushed. "That's not the point, Suki!"

"You want to marry me." She said, grinning.

"Yes." He grumbled. "That's the point of the engagement necklace."

"You should just ask me." She teased, running her thumb over the carving.

"Fine." He took the pendant from her fingers and clasped her hands. "Suki, will you marry me?"

"Of course, you dummy." She swooped down to kiss him, her tears forgotten.

He sighed as they parted.

"What's wrong?" She asked, frowning.

"My dad is going to be so annoyed. He leaves, and four weeks later both of his children are engaged." Sokka shook his head. "And neither of us asked his permission!"

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

_I will never let you fall__  
__I'll stand up for you forever__  
__I'll be there for you through it all,__  
__Even if saving you sends me to Heaven_

_**-The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, "Your Guardian Angel"**_

"What about my Uncle?" Kaya asked, swinging her legs on the bed.

"Which Uncle?" Chi Lin responded from where he sat by the window, his chin resting on his hand, a long scroll in his hand. He was waiting as she tried on six different outfits for Iroh's gathering, running into the bathroom to change into each one. He was patiently judging each one and offering his opinions, hoping that she wasn't turning into a girl just yet.

"My second Uncle."

"I am afraid you will have to be more clear." He sighed, putting down the scroll and standing to stretch. He glanced out the window, noting the setting sun. "We have to get going."

She nodded and somersaulted down from the bed, launched higher from her bending, landing silently on the floor in her soft slippers. She was dressed in a soft green kimono, her hair braided simply in two long strands so it stayed behind her ears. To him, she looked like the young child she was instead of the Avatar. "I mean my Uncle Sokka."

"He is your second Uncle?" Chi Lin hoisted her onto his shoulders. Ever since she had seen Toph slide down the Wall on Min Ki's shoulders she had been enraptured with sitting on people's shoulders, usually Zuko's or Chi Lin's.

"I met him second." Kaya bopped him lightly on the head as he bent to avoid hitting her head on the way out of her room.

"He and Suki are going to Kyoshi." Chi Lin said, glancing up and down the corridor. "Sokka said that he is not ready for the cold just yet. They will join you in the summer."

"Is it really that cold and always snowy in the South Pole?" Kaya asked, her voice dreamy. "I think it sounds magical."

"I have never been."

"What about Toph and Minky?"

"They will be going with you." He neglected to mention the long stream of curses Toph had recited at the idea.

"I thought she wanted to be ruler of Tophapalooza." Kaya said, plucking at a stray thread on her robe.

"I believe she realized how much she would have to work if she were to become Queen of Omashu." Chi Lin chuckled at the memory of Toph being approached by Omashu's former councilors and presented with the modest stack of paperwork she would have to sign with the promise that it was just the start. She had buried them to their necks and stormed off, declaring there was no way the Dread Commander Toph would be confined to an office to push papers like some sort of Fire Lord.

"And my father?"

"He will go with you too." Chi Lin replied patiently. They had been talking about this since the night before, when Iroh had revealed that he would be taking over as Fire Lord instead of Zuko.

"What about Denali?"

"He is staying to help Iroh."

She squirmed on his shoulders, trying to think of someone else to ask about. "What about…Appa!"

"Toph will fly on him. She does not like boats. I do not blame her." Chi Lin grimaced. It was one of the few things he and the rough earth bender had in common: the churning sea churned their stomachs.

"Okay. I can't think of anyone else."

"No one?" He teased, trying to convey a hurt tone. The servants they passed gave him an astonished look. Chi Lin was widely regarded as humorless, serious, worse than the Crown Prince even. The Avatar's stoic bodyguard. But to Kaya, he was much more. He was her best friend, her constant companion, her protector. "You cannot think of who you have not asked about?"

"No." She squinted her eyes in thought, unconsciously looking like her aunt Azula. "Uncle Iroh is staying here to be Fire Lord. Mom is coming with me. Aang is coming with me." It always sent chills up Chi Lin's spine when she talked as if Aang were a real person. It made him think of ghosts. "I can't think of anyone."

Chi Lin cleared his throat. Kaya's eyes widened in horror and she squirmed to be let down. He dropped her to the ground and she tugged on his hand until he knelt in front of her. She cupped his face between her small hands, looking into his muddy eyes with her concerned golden ones. "Chi Lin." She whispered fearfully. "Are you coming with me?"

He gave her a half smile, tempted to tease her. But even seeing her in this pretend fright made him feel uncomfortable. "Do you want me to?"

"Of course." She frowned at him. "You're supposed to always be with me."

"Then that is what I will do." He took her hand and led her further down the corridor until they stood outside the door to Iroh's chambers. Laughter and voices came from within as they hesitated.

"Kaya." She looked up at him. He rarely said her name. He knelt down again, drawing a paper-wrapped parcel from his pocket. "I want you to have this, in case there is a time I cannot be at your side." He handed it to her and she unwrapped it slowly, troubled by the thought of him not being around. It was a black leather sheathed tanto knife with a leather wrapped pearl handle, its shining blade engraved with an inscription. "I was given this blade in the Earth Kingdom by a young boy who said a great fire bender once saved his village and gave this to him. He said the man had a large scar on the side of his face."

Kaya squinted at the lettering. "I can't read it."

"It says 'never give up without a fight.'" Chi Lin said. "The boy didn't." A sad look flashed across his face, but Kaya didn't notice. He took it from her hands and slid it back into its sheath, slipping it into her boot. "This way, you will never forget it."

"Thank you, Chi Lin." Kaya said, looking at him solemnly. "But I still never want you to be apart from me."

He smiled his rare smile at her. "That will never happen." He stood and opened the door for her. "I promise."

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

_You're gone now, gone but not forgotten__  
__I can't say this to your face__  
__But I know you hear_

_**-Westlife, 'I Will See You Again'**_

Iroh beamed around at the young people around him. So much joy on their faces. His nephew was sulking in the corner for a reason he could not fathom. The young Avatar had a serious look on her face as she moved her hand along her boot, Chi Lin standing beside her, looking at peace. Katara and Suki stood talking together while Toph listened looking bored. Min Ki and Denali were beside each other comparing scars. Iroh was glad that the young water tribe ambassador had decided to stay with him in the Capital.

Iroh settled himself in a seat against the wall apart from the group of them, content to watch and sip his tea. It was very good tea. The duties that loomed before him as Fire Lord did not worry him. It was nothing compared to the life he had led. In fact, he was looking forward to sitting comfily behind a desk and signing papers as his nephew traveled around the world. It seemed more suitable for the both of them. He smiled into his teacup, inhaling the steam that rose as he heated it up just slightly.

"I still miss them sometimes."

Iroh jumped, nearly spilling his tea, as the voice spoke from beside him. He turned to see a faint profile, the face of a sad, translucent boy.

"Avatar?"

The boy smiled somberly. "Not anymore. Not really."

"What are you-? How are you-?" Iroh slammed back his tea and swallowed with a loud gulp. "Avatar, why are you here?"

"This is the last time they'll all be together." Aang said. "At least, in the way we used to be."

"And the spirits let you cross over for that?"

He could swear the boy looked guilty. "Well, I didn't exactly ask permission…"

Iroh shook his head wearily. "Avatar, there are rules in the spirit world for a reason."

"I know! I know!" Aang exclaimed. "I just…I needed to be here."

Iroh kept silent, observing as the spirit of the last Avatar mournfully watched as his friends laughed in front of him. "They still mourn you, you know. Katara, especially."

"I'll always love her." Aang murmured. "And I never got to tell her."

"She knows." Iroh said, turning to face the boy. "Love can never be kept a secret for long. It shows in our faces, in our movements, in the way we speak around that special person. Believe me, Avatar, she will never stop loving you either."

Aang frowned, looking down. "Not the way I love her. Not the way she loves Zuko."

"Avatar," Iroh sighed. "You know as well as I do about Katara and Zuko."

"I know." Aang muttered. "I saw."

"You did?" Iroh asked, astonishedly.

"When he crossed into the Spirit World to get her, his soul wasn't complete until he put it beside hers." Aang picked at an imaginary, spectral thread on his cowl. "And they joined."

"Their souls are one, Avatar." Iroh spoke comfortingly. "They will always know where the other is, if they are in danger, if they are frightened. If they are in pain. It is a bond of love so intense, it cannot compare to any other." He tried to lay a hand on the boy's shoulder but it passed through and he shook it. It tingled. "She would have given her life for you, as you would have for her. But she was always meant for Zuko."

"I know." Aang said. "But that makes me think…was there ever someone out there for me like that? I missed out on so much, Iroh."

The old general thought he saw a tear roll down the boy's spectral cheek. "I am sorry for your death, Avatar. I am sorry that you spent such a short time here with us. But your life was not wasted. You knew great love, great tragedy, adventure, and above all, you knew yourself. That is more than most of us can accomplish in a lifetime." The boy looked over at him despondently. "You need to allow yourself to let go of this world and explore the Spirit World. You may still find someone who matches your own soul."

"You really think so?"

Iroh nodded sagely, closing his eyes.

"Thank you, Iroh. I'm glad you finally get to be the Fire Lord."

When Iroh opened his eyes, Aang had faded away. The new Fire Lord slumped against the wall, hoping his advice could help the spirit of the Avatar find peace. He looked around him, made sure no one was watching, and then deeply examined the dregs in the bottom of his teacup, wondering if Lieutenant Ji had slipped him Etoyep Root again. Last time he could have sworn his nephew had sang a wonderful love ballad before flying away on metal wings.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

_Forever, you're a part of me_

_Forever, in the heart of me_

_I will hold you even longer_

_If I can._

_**-Diamond Rio, 'I believe'**_

This party was much more of what Zuko could handle. And he still stood brooding in the corner. Around him, his friends and allies laughed, ate, and drank in celebration. The war was truly over now. Iroh was the Fire Lord. 'Team Zuko', now reverted to 'Team Avatar' at Sokka's insistence, was heading out on the first ship of the morning. Katara stood talking with Suki beside a sofa, both girls giggling and smiling while Toph sat with a more glazed-over look than usual on her face; very obviously bored. His Uncle sat a little ways apart from the rest, talking to…the wall? He shook his head. Uncle must have had too much tea. Or Etoyep root.

He didn't know why he was in such a foul mood. Maybe it was because he had fought so hard for so long only give up the throne to his Uncle as soon as he had it. Maybe it was because as soon as he had finally arrived home for the first time in a decade he was about to leave again for another decade, and his destination was the coldest place in the world, somewhere no fire bender should ever go. Or maybe it was because Katara's brother had shouted in his ear for an hour about those exact same things. He sighed, pushing the thoughts down. He knew he was making the right choice. His Uncle deserved the throne. He would return the Fire Nation to its past honor, and Zuko would lead it into the future. With Katara by his side. He looked around. Suki sat talking with Toph; Katara was gone.

"Look! I drew us!" Sokka exclaimed from Zuko's right. They all gathered around to see as Zuko slipped out the back, smirking at their muttered criticisms. He thanked the spirits that his fiancée's brother would be going to Kyoshi first instead of with them.

"I think you all look great!" Toph exclaimed.

Their laughter followed him onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard. Katara leaned on the railing, her hair blowing in the wind. Her soft, open outer robe billowed around her, making Zuko think of wings. She turned as he walked up to her, greeting him with a large smile.

"Zuko."

"Katara," He took her hand. "What are you doing out here?"

"Just…needed to get away from the noise." She said, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb.

"Oh." He looked down at her. She was blushing. "Katara, is everything alright? You've been acting…different."

She took a big breath, her heart fluttering. "Zuko…." She took his hand and they descended the stone stairs from the balcony to the courtyard. They walked along the small path around the pond, enjoying the weather. "Zuko, " How should she start? "My brother and Suki are taking, or rather, have taken, a really big step forward. And, well, um…"

He stopped her, halting their walk to take her hands. "Katara?"

She took a breath. "They're having a baby. And they're not the only ones." She met his eyes, holding his golden gaze, so like Kaya's, with her blue.

Zuko's mind ran through the possibilities: Toph and Min Ki? Chi Lin? Denali? He looked down at her blankly, not making the connection. She rolled her eyes at him and placed his hand on her stomach. His eyes widened, flicking between her face and her stomach. "But…" How? He thought he had been so careful. His eyes rose to her face. Was she happy? Was she angry? Regretful? He needed to know. "Katara…"

"Zuko, I swear if you say my name one more time I will bend you into the pond." She exclaimed, swatting him on the face.

He watched her warily. "Ka-Um, are you…alright with…with this?"

"Yes." She looked at him earnestly. "Zuko, my first child was the Avatar. This child will be the Fire Lord someday." She put her hands on his face, searching his eyes. "Are _you_ alright with this?"

"I'm terrified." He said, but his voice was steady. "What if…what if I can't do this?"

She could feel his fear. "Zuko, of course you can-"

"What if I'm like him?" He whispered, interrupting her. He sank to his knees, his hand still on her belly. "What if I'm like my father?"

His big fear, she realized. And not just about the child she was carrying. To the rest of them, it never would have occurred that Zuko would be anything like his father. They knew he wouldn't. But in Zuko's mind, it had always lurked there: the idea that deep down, he was evil.

She turned his head to face her and pressed her lips to his. "Do you think I would let you anywhere near my daughter if I thought you would be like him?"

He looked at her confusedly. "You can already tell?"

She looked at him in equal confusion before she burst into laughter. "Zuko I meant Kaya!"

"Oh." He smiled bashfully. "Right."

"Hey!" Toph's voice came from above them and they looked up. "Are you done telling Zuko you're knocked up yet? The rest of us are waiting."

"What?" They heard Sokka's bellow and cringed.

"Thanks, Toph." Katara growled. "Way to handle it delicately."

"Any time Sugar Queen!" She disappeared as Min Ki dragged her backwards before Zuko could shoot a fireball at her.

Zuko and Katara looked at each other and shrugged. They rose and began to climb the stairs to join the others.

To Zuko, all sound seemed to fall away as they reached their friends. He watched, a gentle smile on his face, as he watched Katara be congratulated by Suki and Iroh. Sokka was probably making some sort of comment about how dare he touch her, his baby sister, some sort of bombastic insults until Suki and Katara chided him and he calmed down and returned to his senses, assuming a cheerful grin and enveloping his sister in a hug. Min Ki and Toph stood apart. Zuko watched as Min Ki looked down at Toph with a tender smile, his arm around her shoulders. Sokka was giving Suki the same look as she gushed with Katara. Zuko was familiar with the look. It was the same that came over his own face when he saw Katara.

That night as they lay in bed, Katara's deep breathing ruffling her hair as she slept with her back pressed against his front, his arm resting around her waist, Zuko breathed in the smell of her. Images ran through his mind: The first time he had seen her on the bank of the river when he had captured her and tied to the tree. When he had captured her using Jun and her shirshu. Their encounter in the North Pole's spiritual oasis and how he had almost frozen to death. The day his Uncle was attacked and she offered to heal him. The day she offered him her trust and he had betrayed her to join his sister. Her eyes when she had knelt in front of him in Romjak's camp and asked if his father had sent him, seven years later. The feeling of her fingers against his as she stood against the oncoming soldiers in the forest. The first time she had slept beside him. The first time she had kissed him. The second time. The first time she had called his name when he was inside her. The first time she told him she loved him. Fighting beside her in the war. The look in her eyes just before she took the lightning for him, the blast that left the spidery scars across half of her chest. The helplessness he had felt as she lay between worlds without her spirit. The joy when she returned to him. When she had put on the necklace he had painstakingly carved for her and accepted him. And now she was carrying his child. He laid his hand over her stomach in wondrous curiosity. What a journey they had been through together, from enemies to shaky allies, to confidants, to lovers, to family.

"Daddy?"

He sat up slowly, trying not to disturb Katara. She was sleeping badly enough lately. Kaya walked through the doorway, framed in soft, flickering, golden light. Chi Lin reclined against the doorway, his face hidden in shadow. Zuko nodded to him and he disappeared around the corner, standing watch outside the door. Or rather, sitting watch, Zuko thought as he heard him thump to the ground.

"What's the matter, baby?" His words were soft, encouraging her closer. She scrambled up on the bed, wedging herself between Zuko and Katara. It still astonished him that even with all the mystical power in the world and endless experience through past lives, she still ran to him with her fears.

"I had a bad dream." She snuggled down in the covers, pressing her face to his chest.

"Kaya?" Katara's sleepy voice was gentle. She rolled over, putting her arm around Kaya. "it's okay, baby."

Zuko looked down to see Kaya's face light up at her mother's touch. For a moment, he saw himself mirrored in the small girl. He had always craved his father's attention and love, something that had always seemed out of reach as his father preferred his sister more and more. Kaya craved her mother's love and acceptance, as she felt Katara still wished for Aang to come back. But Zuko knew the depths of feeling Katara held for Kaya and could only hope that eventually, it would become apparent to Kaya as well. For now, she closed her eyes in happy contentment, sandwiched between them.

Katara lightly stroked her daughter's hair, looking up sleepily to meet Zuko's eyes. He leaned over to press a kiss to her forehead, ignoring Kaya's indignant squeak.

He closed his eyes. This was the happiest he could remember being.

The war was over.

*****Line break***Line break***Line break*****

**A.N.: **The end! Going to do an epilogue. Considering a sequel. I'll think 'bout it lol. I wanted to do some more things with this story, but I think to do anymore would stretch it too much. Gonna miss these characters but time for new stories! (Etoyep root is peyote spelled backwards xD)

To Guest: Thank you! They _are_ very busy people…

To storyoftheunknownfangirl: Hahahaha thank you! xD

To Kat-Tastrophe: Aww but evil is fun….maybe I'll write a singularly evil story at some point…thanks for sticking with me through this entire story! Yours is up next

To Ithirhen: Thank you so much! ^_^ I hope you do write it! I'd love to read it.

Thanks to all the watchers/favoriters/reviewers! One more chapter before it's on to the next story.


	26. Chapter 26

_When the night has come_

_And the land is dark_

_And the moon is the only light we'll see_

_No I won't be afraid_

_Oh, I won't be afraid_

_As long as you stand, stand by me_

_**-Ben E. King, 'Stand by Me'**_

**Epilogue**

In the eyes of some in the Fire Nation, Crown Prince Zuko never married. When he ascended the throne twelve years after the end of the Hundred Years War, once his Uncle had decided he was too old to rule and returned to the Earth Kingdom to open his Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop, he brought the woman he had married in a private ceremony on Kyoshi Island: the water bending master and sister to the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, Katara. There were few objections, but they were loud. Fire Lord Zuko and his cabinet of officials and advisors silenced the outcries with thinly veiled claims of political alliance. Zuko couldn't have married an air bender, could he? He obviously had had to settle for a water tribe girl, or so the gossips said.

From his union with his wife, Fire Lord Zuko named his second born child, the golden eyed Princess Suza, as his heir. Many thought that, despite the fact that she was the Avatar, he should have named the very popular Kaya as his heir. He had declined, and when asked later, Kaya said that she would have declined as well. Suza was a serious child, very concerned with what was right and the happiness of her younger brother, Prince Rozu, when he was born two years later with stunning blue eyes. He was said to be the spitting image of his Uncle Sokka, and the two were devoted to each other. Katara, watching Zuko watch them play, loved seeing the relieved look in his eyes; that his children wouldn't suffer the same relationship he had with his sister.

Suza was born in the Southern Water Tribe among her mother's people on a full moon. She was a prodigal fire bender, lighting her first flame when she was six months old. Her brother Rozu was not as quickly talented, though he did go through a period where he froze his sister's drinks solid for a month when he was seven. Zuko liked to grumble that it was because he was born while visiting Toph and it was her fault. Kaya was thrilled with both of them, and was the only person who could make Suza laugh until she cried. All three children were occasionally disgusted by their parent's obvious adoration for each other and would retreat to whichever body of water they were closest to so Kaya could take them ice skating. The grew up on the road, meeting Kings and powerful benders, riding wild animals while their mother wasn't looking, learning the art of diplomacy as they learned their numbers.

Through his travels, Zuko rebuilt the reputation of the Fire Nation through his own as a fair, kind, and just man. Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe leaders grew to trust his serious, sincere personality and in turn trusted him on the throne. They met his children and enjoyed them. Most of them knew Katara from her past adventures and were incredibly fond of her already. Katara teased Zuko that the only reason he was such a well-liked Fire Lord was because they all actually liked her. It usually sparked an argument that ended with them naked in bed, which had been her goal anyway.

After Iroh's death, Fire Lord Suza's coronation, and Prince Rozu's appointment to General of the Royal Army, Zuko and Katara retired to the South Pole. For a month. Zuko objected loudly to the cold and declared that he refused to die in a frozen wasteland. Katara relented and agreed to relocate to Kyoshi Island to be with her brother and Suki, who had been living there after Sokka had passed chieftainship of the Southern Tribe to his son.

Toph never returned to Gaoling, instead taking up residence in Omashu once the Avatar had mastered earth bending and Zuko ascended the throne, breaking up their travelling party. She was appointed Chief of Police by King Bumi a year before his death at the age of one hundred and thirty. Min Ki was elected as the Earth King and served for many years, eventually passing on the title to his younger daughter, Suyin, while his older daughter Lin continued in her mother's footsteps as a guardian of the people. With the city in good hands, Toph and Min Ki left to travel the world in search of enlightenment, eventually reuniting with Katara and Zuko on Kyoshi Island.

Kaya said goodbye to her mother and father when she was eighteen, a year before Zuko took over as Fire Lord. With Chi Lin at her side, she departed from her travelling family to discover the world on her own as a fully realized Avatar, though there were few places left that were unfamiliar to her. The last her mother heard, the two were in the Western most part of the Earth Kingdom, searching out a rumor of a colony of air benders. Another rumor was that she had found her spirit dragon, and one for Chi Lin, and the two of them rode them across the world.

Sokka and Suki, with the help of Katara and Sokka's People, rebuilt the Southern Water Tribe to a glory that had not been seen for decades. It rivaled the Northern Tribe in technology, medical advancements, and cultural brilliance, though the Northern Tribe always seemed a step ahead. They were married on Kyoshi island in front of a crowd of over three hundred citizens from around the world. Less than three months later, Kamol was born, named for the friend who had died in Sokka's arms. His siblings, Atka, Eska, Pakak, and little Mitka, followed soon after. When Hakoda stepped down as chief, Sokka took over leadership of the Southern tribe. He would be written about as one of the greatest leaders in tribal history who led his people into a time of peace and prosperity.

When they all finally reunited on Kyoshi island, they laughed at how old each other was. The grey streaks in Katara's hair. Zuko's completely grey hair. The wrinkles under Sokka's eyes. Suki and Katara grumbled about Toph's still jet-black hair and smooth skin as she sat laughing at them. Min Ki was similarly youthful, as was Denali when he joined them. They sat around fires and told stories about their children, their grandchildren, stories from the war. They mourned the ones they had lost. Iroh to age. Jimoz to Fire Nation rebels. Hakoda to age and reckless ice-dodging. Their friends who had died so long ago. And they talked about Aang: the reason they had all come together in the beginning. Zuko held Katara close against him as they talked, still enjoying the smell of her hair, the feel of her skin on his, the warmth of her presence beside him. She was his partner, his lover, his best friend, his life. As she fell asleep beside him, her grey streaked hair shining in the firelight, he wondered where the next adventure would take them.

***Line break***Line break***Line break***

To Guest: Thank you! And you're welcome

To Kat-Tastrophe: 3

To Angel Swimming: yay! I'm glad you do

To storyoftheunknownfangirl: Thank you! This dream was not important…or it could be. In a sequel. Hmmm…

To Guest: Thank you! Thinking about it…

To Guest: Thank you!

To Guest: Thank you! Not sure about either atm…


End file.
